Stone
by transmutejun
Summary: What is there to do when the worst happens? G-Force must survive an unthinkable tragedy.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"That way." Mark pointed, his lips moving soundlessly as he communicated the message to his team. Jason nodded sharply, accepting the instruction and falling into place directly behind the commander, followed by Princess and Keyop. Quickly, they made their way down the corridors of the Spectran robot, searching for the storage pods they knew had to be onboard. They were literally in the belly of the beast, moving through the stomach of the saber-toothed tiger that was the design of the Spectran's latest robot-of-the-week.

"Got to be somewhere!" Keyop whispered. "Can't hide 12 kilotons of vitalumis alloy!"

Silently, Mark agreed. Vitalumis alloy, the newest, most potent form of the precious resource, was highly sought after, yet very bulky. Spectra had just raided the main Federation supply depot on Zarkadia, and the stolen alloy was stored somewhere on this robot. They had to find it soon, before the ship entered Spectran space and someone noticed there were 4 stowaways onboard, not to mention the Phoenix carefully trailing behind, just out of scanner sight but within range of their cosmic communicators. They had checked every other place. It had to be at the end of this corridor. If it wasn't there, they would have to go back to the Federation empty-handed. They would fail.

Mark didn't like to fail.

It happened from time to time, naturally, more often the Galaxy Security would publicly admit. No one was perfect, least of all the G-Force team, but everyone was counting on them. G-Force was the best they had, and in many cases, the only option they had. But there were times when Zoltar seemed to get the better of them, and G-Force returned home, tails between their legs.

Unfortunately, it seemed like this might be to be one of those times. If the vitalumis alloy wasn't there… But it would be there. Mark had to think positively. After all, his team was counting on him.

Hearing something, the commander hustled everyone around a corner, hiding them in the shadows. Cautiously he peered out, watching two bored Spectran soldiers saunter by. As was typical for their rank, they weren't very alert and clearly weren't expecting any trouble. Once they had passed, Mark waved everyone out once more, leading them down the hallway. There it was: the room at the end of the passageway. This had to be it.

But as they burst through the door, it was instantly obvious that this wasn't it. Instead of kilotons of vitalumis, they faced an empty chamber with only one occupant.

Zoltar.

"Greetings, Commander!" the Spectran leader called. "I was expecting you much sooner. But you're here now, and we can begin."

"Begin?" Mark asked reflexively, glancing around the room, checking for signs of danger.

"Looking for something?" Zoltar smirked. "You weren't expecting to find 12 kilotons of vitalumis, were you? Perhaps enclosed in a detachable space transport pod for an easy escape?"

Behind his visor, Mark fought a blush. Actually, he had been hoping for something very like that. But he wasn't going to let his enemy know how well the barb had hit home.

"We found exactly what we were looking for." the commander stated confidently. "We found you."

"And now that you've found me, what are you going to do with me?" Zoltar asked, amused.

"Take you back to Earth for a fair trial." Mark answered, stalking across the room toward the masked man.

"Unfortunately, I have a prior engagement." Zoltar sighed dramatically. "And so do you, Commander." He pulled back his cloak, revealing a large rifle in his hands.

"Meet my latest weapon: the Medusarray." Zoltar cackled. He fired, sending out a blast of light in Mark's direction. The commander leapt into the air, narrowly avoiding the beam.

"More like your latest failure." Jason sneered, throwing a feather dart at Zoltar. He dodged a beam from the Medusarray, yet his feather fell to the floor with a heavy clunk.

Princess threw out her yo-yo, but her aim suffered at the last minute as she somersaulted out of the way of yet another beam. Zoltar began firing randomly, keeping the G-Force team on edge. They had no idea what the weapon did, but the memory of the Meganizer was all too clear in their minds. What if Zoltar had found another way to force a detransmutation?

It was immediately clear that the weapon would have to be destroyed.

"Gotcha!" Keyop cried, running toward the Spectranleader. But he tripped, becoming tangled up in his own legs, his bola flying wildly off in the wrong direction and crashing into the wall. Zoltar had never been one to miss an opportunity and he fired at the fallen Keyop, forcing the boy to roll quickly out of the way.

But not quickly enough.

"Aiiieee!" Keyop cried out as a beam of light from the rifle hit his leg.

"Keyop!" Princess cried, running toward him. Quickly, she pulled Keyop to his feet, directing him away from the oncoming fire. Yet something was clearly wrong. Keyop collapsed again, unable to move.

"Over here, Zoltar!" Mark cried, attempting to distract his enemy from the wounded Keyop. Jason followed suit, attempting to shoot Zoltar with his cablegun. The diversion worked, and Zoltar rounded on the two of them, uncertain where to aim, as Princess helped Keyop from the room. From the corner of his eye, Mark could tell that the youngest G-Force member was in bad shape.

It was time to go.

Carefully, he moved toward the exit, pleased to see that Jason understood his actions and was following suit. Zoltar dogged their steps the entire way, shooting blast after blast from his rifle, laughing at their distress.

"You know what you Earthlings say, Commander." he taunted them. "If you can't stand the heat…"

"I'll give you some heat!" Mark shouted, grabbing a handful of mini-bombs from his belt pouch and throwing them at Zoltar. He tossed them just as he and Jason exited through the door, hearing the satisfying boom behind him as he ran. Yet his satisfaction was short-lived. They had utterly failed in their mission. They had not located the missing vitalumis, and Keyop had been injured. Even worse, they had been discovered. Every solider on this ship would be after them now. As if to confirm his fears, men in green uniforms began pouring out of every available door, firing in their direction.

"We have to leave, now!" Mark told them, and no one argued. He picked up Keyop, taking him from Princess so that she could run, while he held the boy in his arms. Keyop's legs dangled over the commander's arm, his right calf banging into Mark's side as he ran. Mark was surprised by how painful this felt, but pushed the thought to the back of his mind. He had bigger things to worry about now.

"It's just around the corner!" Princess cried, pointing to where they had docked their rocket tube. Jason was on his communicator, contacting Tiny and requesting a fast pickup. With at least 2 dozen Spectran soldiers on their heels, they barely made it to the tube, leaping inside and yanking the door shut.

"Now, Princess!" Mark shouted, and she pressed the button for departure. They shot away from the Spectran robot, moving out into space with incredible speed, making for their rendezvous with Tiny. Within moments, the familiar sight of the red and blue Phoenix had appeared, its grappling cables already extended to take hold of the pod. The connectors latched on, pulling them into the cargo hold of their spaceship. Princess fussed over Keyop, doing her best to examine his leg as he thrashed and moaned. Yet despite his movement, the bottom of his right leg was still. Deathly still. A shiver passed down Mark's spine as the thought crossed his mind, and he pushed it aside. Princess had medical training and she could take care of Keyop until they got back to Earth, at which time Chief Anderson would have a team of top doctors looking after the injury. As 7-Zark-7 liked the say, everything was going to be just fine.

Of course it would. Even though they had utterly failed in their mission. Even though Zoltar had gotten away, once again. Even though the robot tiger was free to ravage Federation planets once more. Even though they had lost kilotons of precious vitalumis alloy. Even though a dark, red stain was spreading across Keyop's right thigh. It would all be just fine.

Mark bent his head, wishing he could bury his face in his hands, but his visor prevented even that small comfort. The pod jolted slightly as it was deposited in the cargo bay, the hangar door closing behind them. Once it was sealed, they heard the whoosh of the bay repressurizing.

"Jason, I could use your help up here!" Tiny's voice came through their communicators. "I need you on weapons!"

"The tiger's attacking?" Mark asked sharply. That was the last thing they needed right now.

"No, it continued on to Spectra, but there are a bunch of smaller fighters that it left behind." Tiny reported.

"I'll be there as soon as repressurization is complete." Jason responded. "Only a few more seconds."

"See you then." Tiny replied.

The moment the green light above the exit hatch lit up, Jason was gone, dashing toward the bridge. Mark wanted to join him, but knew that Princess would need help getting Keyop to sickbay. Carefully, he lifted the now-unconscious boy, carrying him out of the pod and through the Phoenix, doing his best to ignore the red drops that spattered on the floor, marking their path as Princess followed closely behind.

"It doesn't look good, Mark." Princess was telling the Commander. "He was screaming whenever I touched his leg, and his thigh was moving independently of his knee. It's as if the lower part of the leg had been completely amputated, but there's no obvious cut! And the swelling…" Mark swallowed dryly. He shut out what Princess was saying. He didn't need to hear this right now. When they got back, he would hear an update on Keyop's condition. Until then, the only thing he could do was to ensure that their return happened as soon as possible.

"I'll leave it up to you, Princess." Mark told her, as soon as they got to sickbay. "I'm needed on the bridge."

"Of course, Commander." Princess replied, only a hint of sadness in her otherwise correct response. Even so, Mark winced. He understood exactly what Princess wanted. She wanted him to stay, to provide emotional support as she dealt with Keyop's injuries. She wanted him to hold her and tell her that everything would be all right. Not only would he be dishonest if he said those things to her, but he would be far too tempted. Princess was a distraction he simply couldn't afford as commander. Much as he would have liked to pursue the relationship they had begun before G-Force had truly come into existence, he knew that it could only be detrimental to the performance of the team. As such, it was his responsibility to restrain himself, to prevent such a thing from occurring. Still, thoughts of Princess were never far from his mind, and sometimes they even surfaced enough to burst forth from his mouth, in the form of compliments or not-so-subtle expressions of his regard. While he knew Princess lived for these moments, she rarely pushed him, and somehow seemed to understand his reluctance to pursue anything further. It was just one more way in which she suited him perfectly, which only made things worse.

Forcing his thoughts of Princess aside, he made his way to the bridge, striding through the corridors with a strong sense of purpose, barely noticing the shifts and jerks of the ship as it dodged incoming fire. When he arrived at his destination, he found Jason standing next to Tiny, his finger depressing the firing button in front of him in an almost rhythmic fashion.

"3 degrees port, Tiny!" Jason instructed, and Tiny complied, putting Jason within range of two Spectran fighters. Without hesitation, Jason fired, sending a missile exactly between the two, hitting their wings. The two fighters lost control, crashing into each other in a fiery burst.

"And that's the last of them." Jason sighed heavily, turning around, only to see the Commander standing behind him. "Mark, glad you could make it."

"I wouldn't miss that grand finale." Mark replied, taking his seat as Jason returned to his usual position. The commander's forced attempt at humor fell flat, as everyone understood that their failure in this mission wasn't a joking matter.

"Jason told me about Keyop." Tiny said quietly. "How's the little guy doing?"

"I left him in Princess' care." Mark replied, not being able to answer any more specifically. "We should get back to Center Poseidon as quickly as possible."

"Understood." Tiny nodded, setting a course for home. The trip was a silent one, all of them lost in thought, waiting for word from Princess, which never came. Once they entered the solar system, Mark checked in with Susan at the Early Warning Station, then contacted 7-Zark-7.

"Zark, Keyop has a serious injury. Have medical teams on standby for our arrival." the commander informed him.

"Will do, Commander!" Zark responded, perhaps a touch too cheerily for Mark's liking. But no matter how annoying the robot, he was efficient, and the commander knew that Keyop would be taken care of them moment they got home.

It wasn't long before Center Poseidon came into view. When Center Neptune had been destroyed, they had all thought that it would be the end of underwater bases, but Chief Anderson had surprised them all by constructing a new Galaxy Security base, completely underwater. Gone was the 'decoy island'; the base was now effectively a gigantic submarine the size of a small city, moving about Earth's oceans with a speed that belied its massive bulk. The Phoenix docked in its usual hangar, Tiny piloting them in with his usual grace and precision. The doors closed and the water drained in less than a minute, and less than a second after that Tony released the rear loading hatch of the Phoenix. Usually the G-Force members simply rode the elevation platform up to the hull and jumped off, but it was clear that Keyop was in no shape to be following that routine right now. Mark was landing on the still-damp floor of the hangar when he saw Princess emerge from the ship, pushing Keyop on a stretcher. He was in his civvies, save for his right leg, which was still encased in the yellow legging and red boot of his G-Force uniform. The contrast would have been odd at any other time, yet now it was chilling.

"He passed out before we got back, and hasn't regained consciousness since." the Commander heard Princess telling the medical staff. I tried to de-transmute his uniform, to get a look at the injury, but you can see what happened." She passed over Keyop's bracelet to Chief Anderson, who was standing nearby.

"Whatever happened to his body, it somehow fused his clothing." she tried to explain. "The material of his uniform just melts into the stiff lower portion of his leg."

"We'll take it from here, Princess." Chief Anderson told her. "You've done the best you can to take care of Keyop, and so will we." Even as he spoke, the young boy was being wheeled out of the hangar, surrounded by a team of doctors. It wasn't a sight Mark had seen very often, but the few occasions he had witnessed such a thing were burned into his mind, haunting him at night. He wouldn't ever forget this moment. He could only hope to assuage its pain with better memories.

"May I stay with him?" Princess asked hopefully, her eyes following the departing crowd of medical staff.

"Let's let the doctors see what they can do first." the Chief replied. "I'll be sure to let you all know when we have any word."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Word came 2 hours later, when they were called to Chief Anderson's office for an update on Keyop's condition. Princess was perched nervously on the couch, Jason uncharacteristically seated beside her. Mark had assumed Jason's usual position, leaning against the wall behind Princess, while Tiny sat in a chair. All of them focused immediately on Chief Anderson when he entered the room.

"Keyop's condition is serious." The Chief began the meeting without any preamble. "The lower portion of his leg, from the knee on down, has been transformed. It is no longer organic material, but instead composed of some kind of polymer substance that mimics the properties of heavy stone, although it has so far proven to be unbreakable. Effectively, Keyop has no right leg below the thigh."

Princess gasped quietly, the blood draining from her face She had been hoping for good news – anything good – but not this. Her eyes stung, and she worked hard to blink back the oncoming flood of tears. Her body trembled as she took in what had happened to the boy she looked upon as a little brother. Dimly, she was aware of Jason shifting uncomfortably beside her, tentatively reaching out, then withdrawing his hand before it made contact with hers.

"Can it be-?" She took a deep breath to stop her voice from quavering. "Can it be changed back? Turned back into organic matter?"

"We haven't found any way to do that." Chief Anderson's voice grew heavy with regret. "It would be like trying to turn a chair, or a robot, into organic flesh. It's simply beyond our capabilities."

Princess began to shake as she heard these words, yet just as she was about to completely lose it she felt a warm, heavy presence holding her still. She realized that Mark had stepped up behind where she sat on the couch, placing his hands on her shoulders. While she appreciated his support, it was insufficient to assuage her fears, yet it shored up her emotions just enough that she clutched at the feeling like a lifeline.

"What about Spectra?" Mark asked, his voice calm and clear. "Maybe we can't reverse the damage to Keyop's leg, but perhaps they can."

"I wish I could offer you that possibility," the Chief replied grimly, "but I suspect that isn't the case. Turning organic material into inorganic matter isn't easy, but the technology does exist to accomplish such a feat. Yet the reverse is not true. Spectra is using this technology as a weapon. It is highly unlikely that they would have put in the vast amount of resources necessary to realize a reversal of the process. Naturally, we will keep our eyes and ears open, but I don't want any of you to cling to false hopes."

"So Keyop's leg is gone forever?" Jason asked, his face shocked and devoid of its usual aloof expression. "He won't be -?"

"He can't use the leg right now." Chief Anderson confirmed. "Effectively, it has been amputated just above the knee. It is lifeless, unresponsive material. Keyop will need some kind of replacement."

"But what about the G-Force team?" Tiny asked. "When can Keyop come back?" The question hung in the air for a moment, Chief Anderson clearly reluctant to address the subject. Yet with four pairs of eyes staring at him intently, he had no choice.

"I'm not certain." he told them with grim honesty. "Keyop may rejoin G-Force eventually, but it will be a long time, perhaps never. He will need a replacement leg, and the physical therapy for basic movement alone is -"

"Just say 'never', then!" Jason snapped angrily. "We all know what artificial limbs are capable of. Even with cybernetic enhancements, they're nothing near what Keyop needs to be a part of G-Force."

"That is true, if we were talking about artificial legs." the Chief admitted. "But I think for Keyop, we can do something better."

"Better?" Princess perked up, hope sparking in her heart for the first time since Chief Anderson had begun speaking. "What can you do for him?"

"There are some experimental techniques." the Chief elaborated. "Cell regeneration and assimilation. Re-establishment of missing appendages."

"Chief, are you saying that you're going to _grow_ Keyop a new leg?" Mark asked, amazed.

"We're going to try." Chief Anderson clarified.

"I know you'll do your best, Chief." Princess nodded gratefully. "When can we see him?"

"Not until the procedure is complete." the Chief answered. "Right now, Keyop is in stasis, and he cannot be disturbed in any way."

"I won't disturb him." Princess promised. "I just think that he'd feel better knowing that we're all pulling for him, and that he might get to come back to join G-Force again."

"It's not worth the risk." Chief Anderson replied patiently. "I can appreciate how you feel, Princess, but Keyop is completely unaware at this moment. He wouldn't even know that you came to see him. The next time he wakes up, he will already have his new leg."

"But if he's not awake, then I can't disturb him, can I?" Princess smiled with her inescapable logic.

"I'm sorry, but no." The Chief's answer was final. "The subject is closed."

Princess opened her mouth to protest once more, but Mark squeezed her shoulder in a silent warning. She shook her head angrily, but acceded to the wishes of her commander. For the moment. She resolved to take the matter up with Mark later.

"The Medusarray performed adequately." Zoltar told the trembling scientist before him. "It hit the G-Force child, immobilizing his leg. And seeing as the feather dart, also hit by the ray, has not returned to its original material form, I feel confident in saying that the effect is permanent."

"Then what is wrong, Sire?" the scientist asked, bowing so low that his forehead nearly scraped the floor.

"Look at it!" Zoltar threw something down in front of the scientist's terrified face, startling the man so much that he actually scrambled backward like a frightened crab. After recovering from his momentary shock, the scientist cautiously crawled forward, carefully examining the object in from of him with his eyes, then tentatively poking at it with his finger. Despite this, he was clearly still nervous being so close to the feather dart, which looked exactly as it had the moment that it had been frozen.

"It's…" the man dared to glance up at Zoltar with a puzzled expression. "It's hard?"

"It has color, you idiot!" Zoltar shouted so loudly that the scientist fell backward, onto his rump, in surprise and fear.

"I asked for something to turn G-Force to stone!" Zoltar growled angrily. "An irreversible process, so that I could rid myself of these meddlesome Earthlings, once and for all! But this is not stone!"

"No, Sire, it's actually a complex polymer." the scientist explained, relieved to be back on familiar ground. "But the process is irreversible, I assure you. There is simply no way that the material can be revived or returned to any form of organic flesh. All traces of the original DNA and cellular material have been obliterated."

"That's not enough!" Zoltar raged, slamming his fist onto a nearby table, causing the papers and tablets upon it to jump into the air. "It _looks_ like it can be reversed! I want them to know, from the moment that they see what has occurred, that there is _no_ hope, _no_ going back! I want them to know that they are doomed!"

"Yes, Sire!" The scientist was typing madly on his tablet. "I understand!"

"And while you're at it, make the beam wider." Zoltar sniffed offhandedly. "Those brats are difficult to hit. I need something big enough to freeze their entire bodies at once. A mere leg just won't do."

"It shall be as you command, Sire." the scientist assured him.

"I need to see Keyop." Princess stated firmly, her hands on her hips. "And he needs to see me."

"You know what the Chief said." Mark frowned. "No one is allowed to see Keyop."

"But I have to!" Princess replied angrily. Don't tell me that you don't want to see him too, Commander."

"What I want, and my orders, are two different things." Mark sighed, exasperated. "You, of all people, should know that, Princess."

"But-"

"No buts." Mark scowled, throwing his ping-pong paddle down onto the table. "I can see that I'm not going to be allowed to relax here today." The commander stalked out of the room, his face glowering.

"He can't mean that!" Princess gasped, taken aback by the intensity of Mark's reaction.

"You know how seriously Mark takes the rules, Princess." Tiny reminded her. "I want to see Keyop too, but the Chief said no."

"But maybe if you talk to Mark, he'll change his mind." Princess suggested, yet Tiny was laughing mirthlessly before she even finished her sentence.

"Don't you know anything, Princess?" Tiny asked her. "If _you_ can't convince Mark, then I sure can't! You're the only one of us he listens to. Usually." He shrugged helplessly, clearly referring to the current bone of contention.

"Me?" Princess was taken aback by Tiny's blunt statement. "He listens to me?"

"Of course he does." Tiny sighed in an amused fashion. "He cares for you Princess. I know he doesn't say so, but it's clear that you're the one he looks to. The one he depends on for emotional support."

"He does? I didn't know." Princess' jaw fell open in surprise as she grappled with these new thoughts. Of course she had had a crush on Mark a few years ago, and those girlish emotions had developed into stronger feelings. But it had been a long time since Mark had said or done anything to imply that those feelings might be returned, not since he had become her commander. Those fleeting moments when they had been on the verge of starting something together had quickly disappeared with the start of the war. The idea that Mark still felt that way about her was something she hadn't considered.

"And since he depends on you for that support, you really shouldn't be countermanding his orders." Tiny told her, with only the slightest hint of reprisal in his voice. "I know you're worried about Keyop. We all are. But the Chief knows what's best for him, and we just have to trust that."

"Uh huh." Princess nodded automatically, lost in thought, barely hearing Tiny's words.

"Yeah." Tiny looked at Princess, realizing that she was no longer listening. He then turned to the space-burger dispenser sitting next to him, frowning distastefully.

"You know, I'm not really hungry." he decided. "I think I'm just going to go back to my room and take a nap."

"Okay." Princess mumbled, staring off into the ocean, and the schools of brightly-colored fish passing by the open window. Tiny shook his head as he departed, smiling to himself. He hoped he had given Princess a lot of food for thought.

There was a moment of silence once Tiny left, as Princess grappled with the astonishing idea that Mark might actually care for her in a way that went beyond friendship, beyond a fondly remembered, shared past. That he might feel something for her in the here and now, despite not showing any such emotion in years.

"You know, that's not right."

"Huh?" Princess was broken out of her thoughts by the unexpected voice. She turned, startled to see Jason leaning against the ping-pong table, half-seated on its edge. He had been so silent that she had completely forgotten that he was even in the room.

"Tiny. He said that the Chief knows what's best for Keyop. Personally, I don't think that's true."

"You don't?"

"Of course not." Jason scoffed. "That might have been the case when we were kids, but we've grown up. We're not under his constant supervision any more. The person who sees Keyop the most, who understands what makes him tick, is you. From what I can see, you're the one who knows what's best for Keyop."

"Maybe." Princess admitted. She flushed, recalling that she had had similar thoughts herself earlier that afternoon.

"If you want to see Keyop, I don't think that would distress him at all." Jason told her honestly. "In fact, I think it would do him good to see you. You're not just Mark's emotional support, you're Keyop's too." He stopped speaking suddenly, staring at Princess with an intense expression that left her feeling completely exposed before his knowing gaze. Yet it wasn't an uncomfortable sensation. She suddenly felt as if she was catching a glimpse into the Jason behind the mask: the man they all knew was there, but rarely got to see.

"And you?" Princess asked, with sudden insight, then backtracked slightly as she saw Jason's familiar walls begin to close in once more. "I mean, what do you suggest?"

"I think you should go to see Keyop." Jason told her. "And if that's what you want to do, I'll help."

"You will?" Princess beamed, all else forgotten in her pleasure at having finally found someone who understood.

"Of course I will." Jason nodded brusquely, turning away from her, but not before she caught a glimpse of that fleeting softness in his gaze.

"Thank you." Princess said quietly, planning a hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently. He nodded, then moved away, and she let her hand drop.

"Meet me back here tonight, at ten o'clock." he told her. "We'll go see Keyop then."

"Okay." she nodded, readily accepting his offer of help. "Tonight."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

At 10:01 pm, 2 figures crept stealthily out of the ready room, down a corridor that had been suspiciously relegated without power on a temporary basis. As such, the lack of illumination provided perfect cover for any activities that might not be entirely within the sanction of the Federation of Planets. It wasn't a long journey to the medical center, and when they arrived, the pair stayed in the lesser-used passageways, away from the staff that maintained the facility and looked after the patients during nighttime hours. Their destination lay in a high security area that was rarely used by regular base personnel, but to which their cosmic communicators granted them instant and automatic access. They did not need to speak, knowing exactly where they were going. At one time, all of their team members had been in this place, recovering from injuries sustained on missions, or occasionally, in training.

When they reached the door, there was no hesitation. Princess pulled on the handle, slipping into the darkened room quietly and with little fuss, Jason close behind.

"I'll keep an eye out." he whispered, gently pushing her forward. Yet Princess did not move. She stood frozen in shock, unable to believe what she was seeing.

"What is it?" Jason asked, sensing something was wrong, and turning to look. His eyes widened in surprise, and he stepped forward, tentatively reaching out, before thinking better of the action and withdrawing his hand.

Princess had no such reservations. She brushed her fingers against the large object in front of her, unable to tear her eyes away from its contents.

Nearly filling the room was a large tank made of glass, or at least, some kind of space-age polymer that looked like glass. In the darkness of the chamber it glowed blue, the light indicating that the life support system installed in its base was active. The tank was filled with some kind of translucent liquid.

Inside the liquid, Keyop floated serenely, his naked body completely suspended within the blue glow. Small tubes in the crooks of his elbows connected him to the machines beneath him, yet they were so thin and clear that they became practically invisible unless Princess narrowed her focus to their exact position. The entire sight would have been almost peaceful, if it weren't for the angry wound at the end of Keyop's right thigh. It did not appear to be bleeding, yet the open cut, as smooth as if it has been made with a laser, seemed to accuse Princess, reminding her of the fact that she had failed to protect her adopted brother.

"Is it a regenerative tank?" Jason asked, his voice low, in keeping with the somber atmosphere that permeated the chamber.

"Maybe." Princess frowned. "But I've never seen anything like it. There's just something about it that creeps me out."

"Yeah." Jason swallowed slowly, unable to tear his eyes away. "It's like he's already dead, and they're preserving him." Princess shuddered with the thought, but couldn't disagree. Everything about the tank seemed strange and alien, far from the medical procedures with which she was familiar, and closer to the strange experiments she had seen in the biology laboratories at the research center.

"What's that?" Jason asked, pointing at the bottom corner of the tank. Stamped into the side of the glass was the code CPL326.

"I don't know." Princess replied, examining it briefly. "Does it mean anything to you?"

"No." Jason shrugged, clearly unwilling to say more. Princess didn't care; she was more concerned with Keyop at the moment.

"He's not breathing." she realized, moving closer. "His chest isn't moving."

"I guess that makes sense, since he's in the water - or whatever that liquid is." Jason noted. "Does that mean that his lungs are full of that stuff? Maybe it's the liquid that's healing him, and it's working from the inside out?"

"Maybe." Princess replied, her eyes focused on Keyop's face. Part of her wanted him to open his eyes, to know that she was there, yet the rest of her rebelled at the thought that Keyop would awaken in so alien a place, unable to even breathe on his own, and so visually aware of the horrible injury he had suffered. Tears slipped down her cheeks as she pressed her forehead against the glass, knowing that he truly was unaware of anything, that her visit had done nothing to ease whatever fears he might have.

"Get well, Keyop." she whispered. "Hurry back to us. We want you to rejoin the team soon."

It was all she could get out before her emotions clogged her throat and she could no longer speak.

"Mark?"

He looked up to see Princess standing in the doorway, hesitant to enter, yet clearly not wanting to leave. He knew her well enough to recognize that this meant that there was something she didn't want to tell him, yet she felt compelled to do so, probably out of loyalty. And given what she had talked to him about yesterday in the ready room, he had a good idea of what it was.

Princess' innate sense of honestly and loyalty were two of the things he loved about her. Yet she also had an impulsive streak, enough to rival Jason, and it usually showed itself when she felt that the people she loved were in trouble. Under any other circumstances, Mark would have appreciated her position, but breaking orders was another matter altogether. Princess understood him better than anyone else, yet she couldn't seem to grasp the enormous restrictions placed upon him by his role as commander of G-Force. To her it was as simple as 'doing the right thing'. He had tried to explain it to her, most significantly with respect to the necessary boundaries of their relationship, and she had tried to understand, yet he saw it in her eyes when she thought he wasn't looking: that lost sadness that broke his heart. It would have been easier to stay away from her altogether, but that was impossible, given her position on the team. And besides, he liked having Princess around. Even if he couldn't touch her, couldn't be with her, she was still the person he needed to see, the person he needed to be with, both now, and in the future, when this war was over.

All of this filtered through his mind, until he realized that she was still awaiting a response.

"Have you come to tell me what I think you're going to tell me?" he asked her.

"Maybe." She had the grace to flush with embarrassment.

"Then I don't want to know." he said firmly. "Whatever I know, I have to report to the Chief, and I really don't want to do that."

"I understand." Princess nodded, yet she lingered, as if there was something else she was struggling to say.

"The thing is," she said finally, "if you could just set that aside for a moment and listen, there's something I'd like to talk to you about. Last night, there was something strange –"

"I can't, Princess. You know that." he shook his head. "I'm on very thin ice with this conversation as it is."

"But, Mark, I need you." Her voice carried a hint of desperation. "I need to know what you think. I need you to help me with this. It's important."

"My hands are tied, Princess." He closed his eyes, willing for this entire issue to go away. Couldn't she see that he was trying to help her? She had disobeyed direct orders, and now she was regretting her actions. He knew she wouldn't have done such a thing on her own. Someone else had gone with her. Possibly Tiny, since next to Princess, he was closest to Keyop, but Tiny was unlikely to disobey Mark's orders. No, it had to have been Jason, who often held rules in contempt when they didn't suit him. If Princess had to talk about her disobedience with someone, she could do it with Jason.

"Okay." Princess' tone was contrite. "I'm sorry to have bothered you, Commander."

When he opened his eyes again, she was gone.

A few days later, Jason leaned against the wall of Chief Anderson's office, his arms crossed as he waited for the others. They had received a summons to assemble for a meeting in five minutes, but that had been only a minute ago. Jason had been close by, and as such had been the first to arrive. Idly, he wondered what the Chief wished to discuss. As he cast his eyes about the room, he noticed that the Chief's desk was covered in a sea of papers. That in itself was unusual: Chief Anderson was a fastidious man, and rarely left a mess anywhere. He must have been involved in something when he had suddenly been summoned away. Once again, Jason wondered what it was G-Force had been called to discuss.

Curiously, Jason moved over toward the desk, glancing at all of the papers. Most of them made no sense to him, with titles such as [u]Interdisciplinary Application and Function of Regenerative Technologies[/u] and [u]Formative Relationships Between Integrated Organic Substitution and Cerebonic Stem Cell Potentialities[/u]. Yet something caught his eye. At the bottom left corner of each paper was stamped a code. The font was so tiny that Jason had to squint to read it: CPL326.

Now why was that vaguely familiar?

Before Jason had time to ponder the issue, he heard noises in the hallway. Guiltily, he jumped back to his former position, settling himself against the wall just as the others walked in. He surveyed them from his vantage point as they arranged themselves around the office: Princess sitting alone on a chair while Mark and Tiny chose to share the couch. Princess looked up nervously at Jason, and he inclined his head briefly, to indicate his support. He knew that she was still shaken up by what they had seen in Keyop's room at the medical center. Jason had to admit, the whole thing had been unnerving, to say the least. Keyop floating in that tank of liquid, not even breathing, lying so lifeless and still. And yet, he had been alive, in some small way, at least. Princess had been having nightmares ever since, and Jason couldn't say that he blamed her. The whole darn thing had creeped him out too.

Naturally, Princess' first instinct had been to go to Mark, and see what he thought of the strange manner in which Keyop was being kept in stasis, but as Jason had expected, the commander had turned her down flat. Mark wasn't known for his tolerance of rule-breaking. Princess was lucky she hadn't walked away with an appointment to see the Chief to discuss her behavior. As such, it had fallen to Jason to soothe her through her jangled nerves, and clearly he was doing a lousy job of it. She was still jittery and restless, her manner uncertain and scattered. It was just as well that Spectra had been quiet, and they hadn't received a call to action.

Of course they had been summoned to this meeting with the Chief. As far as Jason could tell, it wasn't an critical mission, or Zark would be urging them out the door. No, it was something else.

Right on cue, Chief Anderson entered the room, his expression and manner reeking of self-satisfaction. The Chief was extremely pleased about something, for a change. The reason for this attitude was made apparent when Keyop walked into the room behind him.

"Keyop!" Princess leapt to her feet, rushing over to envelope the boy in a big hug.

"Careful!" Keyop laughed, clearly happy to see her. "Still unstable!"

"Unstable?" Princess shook her head. "Keyop, you're walking! Your leg is working!"

"Great to see you, Little Buddy." Tiny grinned, walking over and ruffling Keyop's hair.

"Great to have you back, Keyop." Mark said, rising to a stand.

"You're a tough little guy." Jason nodded, the corner of his mouth twisting into a smile. Certainly Keyop looked infinitely more alive than the last time Jason had seen him. His eyes sparkled, his hands waved wildly as he spoke, and his entire body was animated in a fashion typical for a young teenager, but the antithesis of the silent, unmoving body Jason had seen floating in a medical tank only a few days before.

"Your stitches healed pretty fast, huh?" Tiny asked, staring at Keyop's leg curiously.

"No stitches!" Keyop proclaimed proudly. "All regenerated! Healed by implant!"

"I don't understand." Mark looked over at Chief Anderson. "What does he mean?"

"We cultivated another leg for Keyop in a laboratory." the Chief explained. "Given that Keyop himself was grown in a laboratory, this process was somewhat simpler. Once the leg had sufficiently matured, it was fused to what remained of Keyop's original leg, with the help of some specialized cerebonic programming."

"Fused?" Princess was wide-eyed. Jason could tell that she recalled the sharp, open wound they had seen on Keyop's leg in the tank. "Did it hurt?"

"Naw." Keyop grinned widely. "No problem! Just had to stay still."

"So you just held it there and it attached all by itself?" Jason involuntarily found himself picturing a Frankenstein's monster type of situation, with wiggling body parts being attached to a limbless torso. He fought back the squeamishness that accompanied the image.

"Something like that." Chief Anderson replied, with the touch of amused condescension that was usual when he addressed Jason directly. "Now that you mention it, it was akin to gluing a broken vase back together: ensure the pieces align perfectly, apply the adhesive, then hold together tightly until the parts have completely joined."

"Freaky!" Tiny gulped. As far as Jason was concerned, that was the understatement of the year.

"So how does it feel?" Mark asked Keyop. "Is it just like your old leg?"

"Not quite." Keyop admitted wryly. "Still getting used to it."

"Keyop's nerve endings were able to appropriately connect to his new limb, but his neural pathways are still adjusting." the Chief elaborated. "Keyop is in for some significant physical therapy."

"Physical therapy?" Princess asked sharply. "What about the team?"

"I'm afraid Keyop is in no condition to be rejoining G-Force at this time." Chief Anderson replied gravely. "He is nowhere near a full range of normal human movement, much less the abilities necessary to regain his place on the team."

"And when will that happen?" Mark wanted to know.

"It depends on how much effort Keyop puts into his therapy." Chief Anderson replied.

"A lot!" Keyop interrupted. "Whatever it takes! Want to be on G-Force!"

"Even so," the Chief nodded, smiling at Keyop, "it will be some months before he has trained sufficiently to accompany you on a mission, as he used to do. Commander, you will have to adapt to being a four-person team for the foreseeable future."

No one failed to notice the way Keyop's face fell at this pronouncement. Jason could practically taste the kid's disappointment. He could understand it. G-Force had become such an integral part of their lives that the idea of simply being off the team was one that would be difficult to adjust to, to say the least.

"What if he didn't have to use his legs?" Tiny asked suddenly.

"What do you mean, Tiny?" Chief Anderson asked curiously.

"Well, Mark's been telling me that I've been doing better at combat training." Tiny revealed. "He said he'd like to take me off of the Phoenix more, but he needs someone to stay behind in case they need a quick getaway. Suppose Keyop were that person?"

"Keyop, flying the Phoenix?" Princess' eyebrows rose, yet her expression was thoughtful.

"You designed the Phoenix to only require hand controls for flying." Tiny reminded the Chief. "Keyop could brush up on his piloting skills – I'd be happy to help him – and then he could join us in the Phoenix on missions, staying behind on the ship and picking us up when we're ready to go. In the meantime, he could be working on his physical therapy and getting his skills back."

"That's a workable idea, Tiny." Chief Anderson nodded. Jason could already see the wheels turning in the older man's brain.

"Want to!" Keyop declared.

"I'll set up a training schedule immediately." the Chief agreed.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The threat was real. It almost seemed to be a dream, after close to a month of silence from Spectra. But like an ugly nightmare, the saber-toothed tiger had risen again, attacking Federation colonies on the edge of inhabited space. Yet there appeared to be no method to Zoltar's madness: the colonies were of little value and the planetoids they inhabited had essentially nothing in the way of natural resources. Terraforming in these regions had barely begun, rendering much of the involved areas uninhabitable. There was no reason for Spectra to bother these people, except as a terrorizing tactic.

Yet there had been no advance warning, no demands or ultimatums, none of the usual signs that heralded such attacks. This gave every indication that it was a trap, yet it wasn't one they could afford to ignore. Federation citizens were weary of the war that had raged on for more than 3 years, questioning their desire to continue fighting against an enemy who apparently never tired of atrocities against peaceful civilians or looting of hard-earned resources. If G-Force didn't put a stop to these attacks, the already terrified citizens of the Federation would refuse to sign up for any further settlement projects, and would demand once again that President Kane consider diplomatic solutions with the Spectran Empire. No matter that such diplomatic attempts had already failed on multiple previous occasions.

Keyop sat at the front of the Phoenix, piloting the spaceship under Tiny's watchful gaze, activating the time warp sequence under an approving nod from his tutor. Although the boy had practiced flying the G-Force ship before, this was the first mission any of them had had since his injury.

"There it is." Jason observed grimly. Mark agreed with his friend's mood, but as commander of G-Force, he knew that he couldn't let his bleak assessment of the situation show. If he didn't exude confidence, then team morale would be non-existent.

"Okay, we know from the last time we encountered this thing that our missiles won't work on it." Mark reminded them. "That means that to destroy it, we'll need to get inside and set the explosives. Jason, Princess, Tiny, you're with me. Keyop, I want you to stay in the area. Dodge incoming fire, and every so often send a missile back their way. Use the auto-fire if you have to."

"But missiles don't work." Keyop said, confused.

"Yes, but they'll think we're doing something out here, that we've got something up our sleeve." Mark explained. "At the very least, I'm hoping for a bit of a decoy, so they don't see us coming aboard."

"Got it." Keyop nodded.

"Okay, everyone, let's go." the commander ordered them to move out. They rose to the hull of the ship, then jumped off, descending through the clouds to the massive alien robot they knew lay below them. As they approached the ship, Mark noted with regret that there was nothing he hadn't seen before, or more specifically, there was no new possibility of entrance. They would have to infiltrate the tiger in the same place they had before: in the belly. But since they had previously taken that course of action, Zoltar would be ready for them. G-Force had to be prepared to fight every inch of the way.

Using hand signals, the Commander indicated what he wanted everyone to do. If they were surprised at his orders, no one showed it. Instead they followed his directions exactly, just as they always did. They were his team; they knew how to follow orders. They worked as a cohesive unit, each part necessary to the whole. Quickly and silently they entered the ship, holding back at crucial moments, waiting for the enemy to reveal themselves.

They never did.

Every time they approached an obvious point of ambush, the commander tensed, waiting for the inevitable attack. Yet the inevitable did not come. But he did not feel relieved; he felt as if they were walking into a trap. They moved through the lower corridors of the robot tiger, everything the same as it had been the previous time, weeks before. This very predictability left the commander on edge, and as such he began to question his course of action. Yet without further information, he could plan no new frame of attack. Until something happened, he had to proceed.

"We need to find the engine room." he told his team. "We'll install explosives, get in and get out, as quickly as we can. Spectra's avoiding us, so let's use it to our advantage to finish this mission as quickly as possible." Everyone nodded silently, agreeing with his plan. Even Jason didn't have anything else to offer.

They didn't see any signs of nearby activity until they hit the main corridor. Exterior scans from the Phoenix had suggested that the engine room would be located here, in order to allow for the most efficient energy transfer to the propulsion systems. This supposition was confirmed when they saw several men in green uniforms moving through the area, carrying data tablets and tools. These weren't regular soldiers, but the men tasked with keeping the robot operational.

"Okay, Jason and Tiny, the three of us will go out first, taking care of the men out there. Princess, do your best to slip into the engine room unnoticed and get started. We'll distract everyone so you can work quickly. We'll meet you as soon as we can, if you don't finish first." Mark's plan was one that had worked well for them before, and he hoped it would work for them now.

"G-Force!" they agreed quietly, before executing the plan. Mark, jumped out into the corridor, followed close behind by Jason and Tiny. The Spectrans seemed surprised by their presence, some running away and others putting up a feeble fight. Out of the corner of his eye, the commander caught sight of Princess slipping through a door across the hall. He experienced a moment of worry: normally she had Keyop with her. Normally he could both assist her in her work and act as a lookout, but now she only had herself to rely on. Still, if anyone could do this, it was Princess.

He was so distracted by these thoughts that at first he didn't notice a flash of purple at the end of the hall.

"Zoltar!" Jason hissed.

"I want to make that jerk pay for what he did to Keyop!" Tiny growled, more fiercely than Mark had ever heard him.

"Let's go!" Jason agreed.

"We have to wait for Princess." Mark argued.

"He's getting away, Commander!" Jason scowled.

"All that matters is that we destroy this thing." Mark disagreed. Yet the words were bitter in his mouth. He wanted revenge too, not just for Keyop (although that was certainly a part of it) but for his father's death, for the way Princess had been tortured after she had been captured in a space flower, for the way in with the Spectrans had callously killed Jason's parents, who had been peaceful ambassadors, or Tiny's family, who had been simple fisherfolk in the wrong place at the wrong time. Still, going after Zoltar was foolish. If they were being led into a trap, Zoltar would be the bait. How many times had Mark chased after the Spectran leader, snatching at his cloak, only to end up with nothing more than a handful of air?

Still, if Princess were done planting the explosives, and he knew exactly how much time they had – well, that would be another situation entirely.

"When Princess gets back -" he began, but he was cut off the arrival of the very person of whom he spoke.

"How long?" he asked her, as she re-entered the corridor.

"I didn't do it." she reported. "That's not the engine room. It's just a power relay station."

"So where is the engine room?" he asked her, his fists clenching.

"I don't know." she admitted, her frustration evident in the way her hands balled up into fists. "It's above here, that's for certain, but that's still more than half of this ship. Still, I think the best bet is that it's directly above the relay station. We'll need to go up. How far, I don't know."

"Then we'll just have to keep going until we find it." Mark told her, doing his best to keep his annoyance from his tone. Irrationally, he was angry with Princess for not having discovered this sooner, although deep down, he knew it wasn't her fault. But this mission was critical. If they failed again, allowing the Spectrans to return with the tiger robot a third time, the people of the Federation would see it as an utter defeat, urging the government to enter peace negotiations with the Spectran Empire. And when the Spectrans refused to negotiate, they would demand complete surrender, and the war-weary Federation citizens might just accept it.

"There he is again!" Jason shouted, pointing toward another flash of purple at the end of the passageway. Before Mark could stop him, Jason had dashed off after their enemy.

"Jason, wait!" Mark called after his friend. There was something wrong here. It was just too convenient. Why would Zoltar appear again, after they had decided not to follow him the first time, and just as they had learned that Princess had been unable to set the explosives? Something was dreadfully wrong.

Frantically, the commander ran after his second, putting on a burst of speed and catching up just as Jason paused briefly at an intersection, to determine the direction in which his prey had vanished.

"Jason, stop!" Mark ordered. "Can't you see that he's leading us into a trap?"

"If we kill him, I don't care about the trap!" Jason snapped, but after a moment the light of reason came to his eyes. "Fine." He acquiesced with little grace, but the important thing was that he had obeyed his commander's directive.

Princess and Tiny came skidding to a halt behind them.

"What now?" Tiny asked.

"We keep looking for the engine room." Mark told them. "Straight up, right Princess?"

She nodded, her expression wary. She knew him too well, and was fully aware of the fragile nature of his outer calm. Yet she said nothing, but only cast a worried glance in his direction.

"Why does it have to be the engine room?" Jason grumbled. "Just plant the explosives anywhere!"

"You know better than that, Jason." Princess chided. "The engine core enhances the detonation, causing the blast to spread to all areas of the ship. I'm not carrying enough explosives to do that on my own. None of us are."

"Right." Jason mumbled. Mark noted with some surprise that his friend actually appeared to be shamefaced.

"I think I saw an elevation tube over that way." Tiny jerked his thumb off to the right.

"Then lead the way." Mark told him.

They didn't find the engine room on the next level, or the next, although they caught 3 more frustrating glimpses of purple, each time as they fought off another wave of green-uniformed soldiers. With each sighting of Zoltar, Mark had to fight the urge to give chase, and he knew the others were doing the same. Yet to their credit, they did not complain, and stuck with the plan to locate the engine room. After ignoring Zoltar's presence a few times, they no longer caught sight of him. Rather than easing the commander's concerns, this only heightened them. If Zoltar had given up this plan, what was he devising now? Whatever it was, it couldn't be good for his team. Still, they had no alternative but to proceed, although Mark remained wary.

"It's over there." Tiny pointed suddenly, a grin creeping onto his face. "We found it!"

"How do you know?" Mark asked, surprised that Tiny appeared so certain.

"I can hear it." Tiny explained. "Being a pilot, I know exactly what spaceship engines sound like."

"Makes sense." Jason shrugged. "Let's check it out."

"All right, but everyone be ready for trouble." the commander instructed them. "This has been too easy so far. Zoltar's clearly been aware of us for some time, yet he hasn't sprung his trap."

"Maybe there is no trap." Princess offered, but one look at her face made it clear that despite her words, she knew this hope was futile.

Mark's fears and Princess' doubts were realized when they opened the doors to the chamber Tiny had indicated. He had been correct: it was the engine room, or at least, a room with an engine. To Mark's eye, it looked more bare than he had expected, with the engine machinery shoved into the corner, next to the wall, and the remainder of the area a wide, open space.

"Nowhere to hide." Tiny whispered, and Mark realized with a sinking feeling that the pilot was right.

"Welcome, G-Force!" Zoltar greeted them magnanimously, a host of soldiers behind him. "I had been wondering when you would finally get here. It took you so long to arrive! It's too bad you refused the many invitations to join me." He laughed ominously, a touch of madness in his soft, pink smile.

"We appreciate the thought, Zoltar, but we didn't want to disturb you." Mark replied automatically. He was so used to trading barbs with Zoltar that he didn't even have to think about it any more.

"But I'm so excited to have you here." Zoltar practically purred. "I wanted to show you my newly improved Medusarray." He pulled out a horrifyingly familiar rifle from underneath his cloak.

"That's it." Princess whispered to Tiny. "The one that hit Keyop."

Tiny nodded grimly, his gaze fixed cleanly on Zoltar. Mark instantly recognized the rifle as well, and shuddered inwardly at the idea that the weapon had been improved. No sooner had he processed this thought than he had unholstered his sonic boomerang, sending it out in its standard arc, moving toward the rifle. Years of familiarity with the weapon told Mark that his aim was true: that the boomerang's sonic wave would slice the barrel from the rifle, rendering the weapon useless. He raised his arm, opening his fist, ready to catch his boomerang upon its return to his hand.

Zoltar cried out in surprise, yet it was too late. He didn't have the time to avoid the boomerang. Nervously, he did the only thing he could do, pulling the trigger and firing at the incoming boomerang. A shining wave of silvery light emerged from the rifle, broadening into a glittering spray. The wide beam hit the boomerang with a flash, the commander's weapon arcing through the silver onslaught.

The boomerang fell to the floor with a solid thunk, the sound echoing across the chamber. For a moment, no one moved, everyone staring in disbelief at what had just occurred. The boomerang now appeared grey and lifeless, as if it had been carved from a dull, cloudy stone.

"So now you see what the Medusarray is capable of!" Zoltar cackled triumphantly. "You meddling fools will all be turned to stone! And I think I shall start with you, Commander!"

Mark jumped into the air, his instinctive reflexes saving him just in time as the silver beam swept across where he had been standing a mere second before. Zoltar cursed loudly, angling the Medusarray upward, causing the commander to fly toward the ceiling. Zoltar aimed again, shooting directly above, where Mark clung to the rafters. Seeing what was coming, the commander jumped down, again narrowly avoiding the glittering light, and witnessing the support beams behind him turning to stone. Zoltar howled his disappointment, aiming again. It was clear that this was going to quickly become a game of cat and mouse, if it had not already done so.

"Hey, you purple freak!" Jason shouted from the other end of the room. "Is that all you've got? One pathetic weapon?" He jumped into the air, avoiding the expected silver beam that came in his direction.

"Look at the size of that beam, and he can't even aim!" Tiny laughed heartily, then rolled aside as he became Zoltar's next target. Mark smiled with pride: they were a team, and they were helping him by distracting Zoltar. He recalled when they had all worked together to cause Zoltar to overuse the Meganizer, which had resulted in its overheating and subsequent destruction. Perhaps they could do something similar with this Medusarray.

In the corner, practically unnoticed, Princess worked at the engine, wiring in her explosive charges. Mark was proud of her for keeping her head and remembering their goal, even as they all faced the horror of this new weapon. Princess was trusting in the others to keep her safe, just as Mark was counting on the others to help distract Zoltar.

They could do this.

Filled with a new confidence, Mark flew around the room, joined by Jason and Tiny, presenting fast-moving targets for Zoltar's rage. The silvery beam swept across the area in fierce bursts, leaving wider and wider swaths of the floor, ceiling, and walls turned to stone.

"1, 2- Wait!" Zoltar cried. "Why are there only 3 of you? I thought there was one more!" With sudden insight, he focused his weapon on the engine, where Princess crouched, concentrating on her work.

"Get away from there!" the Spectran leader cried, blasting the weapon toward her. Princess leapt out of the way, her movement surprised and ungainly, yet fast enough to narrowly avoid the rifle's deadly light. The beam washed over the engine, and with a flash it turned instantly to stone. The room was suddenly silent, the background hum of its operations completely gone.

"You've destroyed my ship!" Zoltar screeched angrily. "Do you know how long it took to design that engine? It was a prototype! The only one of its kind! Just like the Meduarray!" He howled again, yet his rage seemed to give him focus. He renewed his attacks on the commander, ignoring the other 3 as they jumped around, attempting a distraction.

Recognizing that it would only be a matter of time before Zoltar hit him with the weapon's beam, Mark signaled to Jason, confident that his second would pass along the instruction. Sure enough, as Zoltar focused on the commander, the others were left free to circle around, moving behind the Spectran leader. The soldiers there put up little resistance, but it would take the other G-Force members perhaps a minute to work around to the necessary position: right behind Zoltar. From there, they could jump the purple madman, taking him down and destroying his weapon.

They were moving into place. Mark's heart surged with confidence as he saw his team doing exactly what they were supposed to do. He only had to avoid the glittering light for a few more seconds. Yet the beam was closing in. Changing tactics, the commander leapt forward, in a move designed to simulate an attack before pulling away at the last second.

Mark smiled confidently before he was enveloped in the silver light.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"No!" Princess screamed, the heart-rending sound echoing throughout the empty room in the milliseconds before the commander's frozen body fell to the floor with a resounding crash. Jason's blood ran cold. This couldn't be happening. It wasn't possible that Zoltar could actually have defeated them!

And yet, he had. The stone form of Mark's body, its dramatic pose of confident attack at odds with the awkward angle with which it had hit the floor, lay before them. Zoltar finally lowered his weapon, a horrifying laughter pouring fourth from his mouth.

"At last!" he cried. "Victory! The commander of G-Force is no more! No one can ever bring him back. It is finished!" He held up the Medusarray, holding it above his head in a triumphant pose, his few remaining soldiers cheering him loudly. Princess and Tiny stood as still as the commander, both of them gaping in shock, unable to believe what had just occurred. Part of Jason was doing the same, yet he knew that now was not the time for such indulgences. He had just been promoted to team leader, in the worst way possible. It was up to him to make sure the rest of them got out alive.

Yet before he could act, Princess was running across the room, Tiny close behind her. Amazingly, none of the few Spectran soldiers who remained standing moved, choosing instead to huddle behind their leader. For his part, Zoltar stared at the scraggly remnants of the G-Force team, his mouth open wide in a gloating expression of superiority.

"Mark!" Princess whispered, taking the commander's head in her hands. Yet Jason could see her recoil as soon as she touched him. Tiny put his hands underneath Mark's body, attempting to lift him, yet the weight proved to be too much, even for the pilot's great strength.

"You're all pathetic!" Zoltar snarled viciously. "Now we can see what you truly are: sniveling dogs moaning after your departed master! Without your commander, you are nothing! And he's never coming back; I've made certain of that!"

Princess and Tiny stared at Zoltar in horror, the terrible truth behind his words sinking into their joint consciousness. Yet Jason clenched his fists in defiance. Perhaps there was some truth to what Zoltar said: perhaps Mark was gone, and wasn't coming back. But it was not a sign of weakness to grieve for those you loved, and even without their commander, G-Force still stood for something. They could fight, with or without Mark.

"I suggest you run." Zoltar sneered, gesturing magnanimously toward the door. "Unless you'd like to join your commander."

Princess looked up, her eyes searching out Jason, while Tiny did the same. Jason trembled with anger and frustration, knowing that he would like nothing more than to walk up to Zoltar and tear him apart with his bare hands, yet at the same time understanding that he would never succeed in doing so. Not in the here and now. Despite the defeat and humiliation of it, they had to do what was best in the long run.

He nodded almost imperceptibly, yet enough for Princess and Tiny to understand the message. The rose slowly to their feet, then turned and flew toward the exit. Zoltar raised his gun, preparing to fire, but Jason threw a feather dart, diverting the Spectran leader's attention. The moment it took for Zoltar to alter his attack to focus on the dart was enough for Jason to snatch up the commander's fallen boomerang and sprint to the door, passing through just as another beam of light came his way. He fell to the side of the hallway, staring in sick horror as the weapon turned the area behind him to stone. Beside him, Princess and Tiny trembled.

"We can't just leave him in there." Princess sobbed.

"We can't take him with us." Jason snapped. "Tiny can't even lift him! How could we get him out?"

"I don't know!" Princess buried her face in her hands. "But to leave him as Zoltar's prisoner? We can't!"

"He's gone, Princess." Jason told her. He knew his words and tone were harsh, but right now their lives depended on leaving Mark behind. He could apologize to Princess later. Right now all that mattered was that they lived to fight another day.

"The ship was destroyed when the engines were frozen. Our mission is accomplished." Jason stated. "It's time to go."

"But we can't!" Princess protested weakly.

"We can, and we will." Jason's response brooked no refusal. He grabbed Princess' arm, half dragging her down the passageway, just as they heard Zoltar's voice calling out.

"You're not still here, are you, my pathetic Earthlings?" Silvery light blasted through the doorway again, and they could see the intensity increasing.

"He's coming after us!" Jason hissed. "We have to leave now!"

The remnants of G-Force ran for their lives.

Princess could barely look at anyone, stumbling from the Phoenix and into the docking bay completely shell-shocked, hardly aware of her surroundings. The only thing she could process was the fact that Mark was gone, turned to stone by that awful weapon of Zoltar's. And that they had left him behind, in the hands of their greatest enemy.

Part of her wanted to die along with Mark. How could she live, knowing that he was gone? Her future was now an empty shell of shattered dreams and hopelessness, rather than the bright, beautiful picture she had always fantasized. Tears slipped down her cheeks, dripping unnoticed onto her wings as she worked through her grief.

"Jason, report!" Chief Anderson demanded angrily, exhibiting more emotion than Princess could ever recall seeing from her foster father. "Your communication from the Phoenix was brief and vague. What has happened to the commander?"

"He's gone." Tiny replied blankly, before Jason had a chance to respond. "Mark is gone."

"He can't be gone." Chief Anderson shook his head. "Just show me where he is. We can get him to the medical center; we can revive him."

"He's not here." Jason spoke with a veneer of confidence, but Princess could tell that inside, he was crumbling, just as she was doing.

"He's not here?" The Chief's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Then where is he?"

"We left him on the robot." Princess whispered, unable to tear her eyes away from the ground.

"You left him with the Spectrans?" Chief Anderson's face grew red with anger. "You abandoned your commander?"

"We did not abandon him." Jason replied coldly, his eyes flashing with resentment. "He was gone. We couldn't take him with us. If we hadn't gotten out of there, we'd be gone too."

"I find that hard to believe." the Chief folded his arms, glaring at Jason.

"It's the truth." Tiny offered, yet no one else seemed to hear him. Princess closed her eyes, unable to watch the people she loved tearing each other apart, yet powerless to stop it. Yet she had to look when Jason spoke again, involuntarily drawn by the intensity of emotion in his voice.

"So I guess you'd prefer it if I had stayed with Mark, and I'd been destroyed too." Jason stated bluntly, his muscles tensing, as if he was preparing for a fight.

"That's not what I said." Chief Anderson began, but he was interrupted by a loud clunk as Jason threw something at his feet.

"That's all that's left of the commander." Jason told him, as the Chief picked up the frozen boomerang in shocked silence. "That's what we left on the Spectran robot. A hunk of stone. Whatever it was that made him Mark, it's gone now, just like Keyop's leg. Except now they've perfected the process."

Jason pushed past Chief Anderson, stalking out of the docking bay and into the corridor, a cloud of dark frustration trailing behind him. Yet through it all, Princess could see Jason wrapping himself in his grief, isolating himself as she had been doing, ever since Mark had fallen.

It wasn't right.

She ran after Jason, heedless of the calls from the others, chasing after the only other person who could understand what she was feeling, just as she knew what he was feeling. They had both just lost their best friend in the world, the person who anchored their existence. They had to be there for each other now.

"Jason!" she called, hurrying after him. Yet he continued to stride away, as if he had not heard her.

"Jason, stop!"

He whirled about as she finally reached him, placing her hand on his shoulder to force some kind of acknowledgement. His face was contorted into an ugly mask of anger and self-recrimination, his eyes boring into her like a red hot laser.

"Why should I?" Jason spat, nearly causing Princess to jump back with the ferocity of his words. "Do you just want to blame me too? Isn't it my fault that Mark is gone?"

"No." Princess shook her head. "I was there, Jason. I saw what happened. I know it's not your fault. You were trying to help him, just like the rest of us."

"If I had just acted a little bit faster!" Jason turned, slamming his fist against the wall, so hard that it left a dent in the solid metal encasing the passageway. "If I had only been able to reach Zoltar before he pulled the trigger!"

"You think you were the only one trying to reach Zoltar?" Princess demanded. "We all were! We all wanted to help Mark! None of us wanted this! You're not to blame, Jason, none of us are! The only one to blame in this mess is Zoltar."

"That purple -" Jason's lip curled into a sneer, and it was clear that he had more colorful language on the tip of his tongue. She could see him fight back the urge to curse, working to control his emotions. His eyes cast around the empty corridor, looking for something, anything to distract him from the maelstrom of emotion inside. When they settled upon Princess, she felt a shudder pass through her, squirming under his scrutiny.

"I have to apologize to you." he said suddenly. "I meant to do it, but I forgot."

"Apologize?" Princess frowned, not understanding. "Jason, you didn't do anything wrong."

"I was harsh with you." he reminded her. "On the robot, I didn't listen to you. You wanted to go back for Mark, but I just dragged you out of there."

"You did the right thing." she admitted. "I still can't believe that we just left him behind, but you were right; there was no way for us to get him out of there. And we had to leave. If Zoltar had hit the rest of us, we would have been frozen too. And then who would be left to help him?"

"You think we can still help him?" Jason asked, a hint of curiosity mixing with the anger on his face.

"With the Chief's help." Princess nodded, her mind whirling as she forced her grief aside and looked toward a solution. "You were smart enough to pick up Mark's boomerang. The Chief and his scientists can study it. Maybe they can find a way to reverse the process. Then we could go back and help Mark."

"Zoltar said it was irreversible." Jason recalled. "But then it wouldn't be the first time that dirty rat has lied to us."

"And who says he knows everything?" Princess declared, suddenly filled with confidence. "Maybe our scientists can discover something that his can't."

"Maybe." Jason was clearly holding back on his response, his eyes still filled with doubt. Princess felt the emotion seeping into her as well, yet she refused to give up all hope.

"It's worth a shot, though." he agreed. "Come on, if I have to go back, you're coming with me."

"Go back?"

"You don't think I'm going to deal with the Chief all on my lonesome, do you?" his lips twisted into a wry smile.

"No, I guess not." Princess returned the smile briefly, although her heart wasn't in it. "I don't think that would be very productive, given how you were interacting earlier."

"Right. So come on." Jason urged her. "Let's see if the Chief can give us any answers."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Less than 2 days later, Princess' fragile hopes were dashed, as Chief Anderson informed what was left of the G-Force team that there was no hope of reviving the commander.

"We have studied the sonic boomerang, performing a thorough analysis." the Chief told them. "We have detailed every part of the weapon on a molecular level. It is the same throughout: a stone that has properties of both marble and granite, with a thread of alien polymer to give it strength. There is no trace of any of the boomerang's original materials. We also examined Keyop's transformed leg, and discovered no genetic or organic material, even on an atomic scale."

"So what does that mean?" Tiny asked anxiously, as Jason scowled and Princess' face turned white. Keyop moped in the corner, unwilling to speak.

"Without a genetic reference of some sort, there is no way to bring Mark back." Chief Anderson explained. "There is nothing to tie Mark to the statue that he has become."

"Statue?" Jason snarled, clearly unhappy with the term. Keyop looked up indignantly, but remained silent.

"That's the only word for it." the Chief sighed heavily. "The thing that used to be Mark's body is now a hunk of stone. There is no reversal possible. Trying to turn it back into the commander would be the same as effectively re-creating him out of thin air."

"Mark's gone?" Princess whispered, a heaviness settling around her heart. She wanted to cry, but she was out of tears. She had shed them all the first night after their disastrous mission. The following morning, she had no longer been able to cry, and since then she had had no release for the sorrow she felt. Yet whatever she had felt yesterday, last night, this morning, it was nothing compared to how she felt now that her last shred of hope had been ripped away.

"As of now, Jason is officially commander of G-Force." Chief Anderson informed them.

"This isn't the way I wanted a promotion." Tiny swallowed nervously. "Number 4."

"Actually, you will all keep your old numbers." the Chief replied.

"Our old numbers?" Jason asked sharply.

"It's a good way to honor Mark." Princess said sadly. "Retiring his number."

"Yes." Chief Anderson nodded succinctly. "For now, you will operate as a team of 4. Jason, you will have to schedule additional training drills to allow everyone to learn to compensate for the lack of a fifth member. You will all remain here at Center Poseidon until further notice." They all nodded wearily, clearly unable and unwilling to argue. A grueling training regimen, being prevented from returning to their civilian lives, these things were nothing next to the loss of their commander.

"I can't believe it." Jason muttered as they left the room.

"Can't believe what?" Princess asked.

"He's going to replace me, first chance he gets." Jason replied.

"Replace you? He just named you commander!" Princess protested.

"We're keeping our old numbers." Jason grimaced. "Don't you see? It's not to 'honor' Mark! The Chief is planning on bringing in someone else. Someone new."

"That's not fair!" Princess declared. "I can see bringing in someone new, eventually, but not as commander. You know us, Jason. You know our strengths and weaknesses. No outsider could ever do the job you can as team leader."

"And I'll never do the job that Mark did." Jason admitted. For a moment, his mask slipped, and Princess saw the worry underneath. In an instant, she understood that Mark's demise was as difficult for Jason as it was for her. She had lost the man she had once loved, but in addition to losing his best friend, Jason had some very big shoes to fill.

"You will, with our help." Princess assured him. "We have to defeat Spectra. It's the only way to honor Mark."

It had been about a week since the loss of the commander when the broadcast monitor in the G-Force ready room was suddenly filled with static. Annoyed, Keyop adjusted the controls, flipping through all of the channels, but each one showed the same thing.

"Satellites are down." he grumbled. "Only get 2 hours a day free time, and no TV."

"I wish that was our only problem." Tiny muttered, yet he stood up, moving over to where Keyop sat, attempting to help him with the issue. "Maybe something got disconnected in the system."

"Nope. Zark would know." Keyop shook his head. "Has to be signal."

"What could be disrupting the satellites?" Jason wondered. "Anything like that should have been picked up by the Early Warning Station, and we should have been notified."

"We'd only be notified if it was something dangerous." Princess reminded him. "A power outage or mechanical failure isn't G-Force's problem."

"But there's nothing that would cause a failure on all channels, on all satellites, unless it was a G-Force kind of problem." Jason fretted.

"I understand that you're anxious," Princess told Jason, in a voice low enough that Tiny and Keyop wouldn't hear her words, "but you need to keep things in perspective. So Keyop can't watch TV. It's not a big deal. We have enough to worry about without adding silly things like this."

"Yeah." Jason replied automatically, but he didn't agree. He appreciated Princess' desire to calm him, and to ease his concerns, but he knew that things weren't as simple as they appeared. Something in his gut told him that this _was_ a problem: a big one. He had always had finely tuned instincts for trouble, yet since he had been made commander of G-Force, they had gone into overdrive. And they were telling him that something serious was up.

As if to punctuate Jason's concerns, their communicators began beeping with an urgent summons. Zark's neurotic image replaced the static on the screen.

"Team, you are to go to Chief Anderson's office at once!" Zark instructed them.

"What's going on, Zark?" Tiny asked.

"Chief Anderson will tell you. Hurry!" Zark urged them, his image fading from the screen. No one spoke as they all rushed from the room, heading up to see the Chief. When they arrived, he was already waiting for them, his expression grim, a static-filled broadcast monitor behind him.

"Spectra has blocked transmission from all of our broadcast satellites." he gave them the news before they had even seated themselves. "Not just here on Earth, or in our solar system, but throughout the Federation. A dampening field of incredible magnitude is being transmitted from deep within the Crab Nebula."

"But something like that must take an incredible amount of power." Princess puzzled over the matter. "Spectra is low on resources. How could they maintain something like this?"

"They can't." the Chief agreed. "Not for long, in any case. So what concerns me is, why is this so important that they would expend so much of their limited resources on powering it?"

"They're sending us a message." Jason stated flatly.

"I suspect you're right, Jason." Chief Anderson nodded in a condescending manner, as if he was congratulating him for deducing that 4 was more than 3. Jason bristled, but pushed his feelings aside. There were more pressing matters at the moment.

"Spectra appears to be in the process of initiating a multi-galactic broadcast transmission." the Chief continued. "We have found evidence that they will be sending out something to literally the entire Federation."

"Like when Zoltar sends messages to us?" Keyop asked.

"Yeah, like the time we were having a meeting and he just showed up on the Center Neptune monitors, laughing at us." Tiny recalled.

"Except this time, it's not just for us." Princess reminded them. "The entire Federation? It must be some message."

"I have a sinking feeling I know what he's going to say." Jason slouched low against the wall. "He's going to throw Mark in our faces."

"But we destroyed his robot!" Tiny protested.

"Deactivated the robot, would be more accurate." Jason replied. "The engines were gone, but it was still intact when we left."

"It is unfortunate that you were unable to destroy the tiger robot." Chief Anderson agreed. His seemingly innocent comment grated on Jason's ears. Of course. Yet another thing that had gone wrong, that the Chief felt compelled to throw in Jason's face. He would never be as good as Mark, as good as Chief Anderson's golden boy. But Mark was gone now. Why couldn't the Chief just make the best of things?

Perhaps Jason was being too touchy, allowing old resentments to cloud his thinking. But just as Jason pondered this idea, the static on the broadcast monitor cleared, and they all found themselves staring at Zoltar's masked face.

"Greetings, people of the Federation!" Zoltar smiled widely, like a successful hunter contemplating how to devour his prey. "I am sorry to disturb you in your time of interplanetary mourning. I too miss the G-Force commander more than I can say."

"Oh -!" Chief Anderson blanched, then turned a deep red, biting off the curse that had come to the tip of his tongue. While the Chief had obviously informed President Kane and the Federation Council of Mark's demise, there had been no official public announcement as of yet. At the very least, there was egg on some very important faces, but Jason knew that was only the least of what Zoltar had planned for his little speech. Jason hid a smirk as he witnessed the usually unflappable Chief Anderson mouth a very nasty word in response to Zoltar's revelation.

"Can't we jam his signal?" Jason hissed.

"Zark is working on it." the Chief snapped, and Jason understood that to mean that they couldn't. Zoltar was going to have his moment in the sun, whether they liked it or not.

"Of course, I have the commander himself to soothe me, in my grief." Zoltar gave the camera a mocking pout, before the view zoomed out and swung to the side, focusing on an object situated next to Zoltar's chair. Princess cried out, stuffing her hand into her mouth, while Tiny's and Keyop's jaws fell open in shock. Jason scowled, while the Chief did his best to regain his composure.

The stone statue of Mark had been affixed to a pedestal and polished to a high sheen, to the extent that it practically glowed, with a marble-like appearance. The commander was frozen in his pose of righteous attack, his wings spreading out behind him. Tears ran down Princess' cheeks, and Jason again silently cursed the Spectran leader. Princess had been just starting to recover from her grief at Mark's passing, and the sight of his body displayed in such a garish manner only tore apart the half-healed wounds once more.

"The G-Force commander was a magnificent opponent." Zoltar continued, his underlying mannerisms making a mockery of his words. "It was only with the Medusarray that I was able to defeat him." With this, the Spectran leader hefted the weapon that made Jason's blood run cold.

He was afraid.

Jason had never lacked for negative emotions. He was on a first name basis with anger, disappointment, frustration, rage, sorrow, jealousy. Yet it was very rare that he felt true fear: the cold sweat trickling down his spine, the clenching in his gut that caused him to question his actions and give in to the most instinctive, and useless, of human conditions. But the sight of his best friend, his commander, turning to stone before his eyes, had created that very fear within him: a germ of sheer panic that, while small, was continuing to grow. Every day he faced more fears: the fear that he wasn't good enough to take over where Mark had abruptly left off, the fear that he would be replaced, the fear that he would fail, losing everyone he had ever cared about. Yet nothing compared to the sheer terror he felt seeing the weapon that could so easily end his existence forever, erasing even his genetic composition on a molecular level.

"I am a generous man." Zoltar told them, to which Tiny snorted loudly. "It is for this reason that I allowed the remained of G-Force to depart, once their commander had been neutralized. And for this same reason, I am willing to make you, the planets of the Federation, a very generous offer."

"Let me guess." Jason sneered. "He wants us to surrender."

"It is time to end this terrible war between our peoples." Zoltar declared. "No one desires further bloodshed or harm. With the commander of G-Force permanently out of commission, there is no reason to continue this fight. Let us make peace, together." He stretched out his hands in invitation, causing his audience at Center Poseidon to grimace.

"It is time for the Federation to gracefully surrender to the Spectran Empire." Zoltar smiled magnanimously. "I will give you 30 Earth days to acclimate yourselves to this change in your lives. During this time, Spectra will not initiate any hostilities against the Federation. In return, after the 30 days have passed, the remaining members of G-Force will present themselves to me, at a location of my choosing, and throw themselves upon my mercy."

"Fat chance!" Keyop shouted, waving his fist at the screen.

"Also at this time, President Kane will meet with me to personally discuss sharing of resources between our numerous planetary systems. I am sure the President will be most generous with his terms, just as I am being generous with you."

"Right." Tiny shook his head in disbelief.

"If you refuse to accept my munificent offer, then I am afraid to say that this war will continue." Zoltar told them sadly, with a wistful glance at the frozen commander. "I will be forced to use the Medusarry on your cities, beginning with the planet Riga. Now I know there are a few among you who might question the power of the Medusarray, whether it is actually capable of turning an entire metropolis to stone. I assure you, such a thing is entirely possible, as has been sadly proven by the instance of Sigma Minor. The people of this planet recently led an unfounded revolt against Spectra, and we were forced to make an example of them." Images of frozen, lifeless cities flashed across the screen, all of them composed of that same smooth stone with which they were far too familiar.

"But I know that you, the people of the Federation, will not be so foolish." Zoltar smiled again. "You will see that we are offering our hands out in friendship, and wish to end the hostilities between us. I am filled with happy anticipation of the moment, 30 days from now, that the Federation will become a part of the glorious Spectran Empire."

"In your dreams, freak!" Jason snarled, pounding his fist against his thigh.

"Until that time, I bid you farewell." Zoltar finished, his image slowly fading from the screen. After a few moments of static, it was replaced by a live feed from the Federation News Network, featuring a startled and unprepared anchorperson. Chief Anderson turned off the monitor, then looked to the 4 young people in front of him.

"I don't suppose I have to ask you what you think of all of this." he said quietly.

"We are not surrendering to Zoltar!" Jason stated defiantly. "We can't trust him! No matter what we do, he'll destroy our cities, our planets, and take all of our resources, leaving us decimated and starving. We can't do it!"

"He's using the commander as a pawn, to convince people to surrender." Princess said in a trembling voice. "He knows that in the Federation, the people have sway over the government. If he can convince the people to surrender, the governments will have to follow their will. That's why he's giving us 30 days: to give the people time to be heard."

"I'm afraid that I have to agree with you, Princess." Chief Anderson sighed, his shoulders sagging in an expression of defeat. "The sight of the G-Force commander turned to stone will be enough to convince most civilians that our defenses have crumbled."

"Haven't crumbled! Still here!" Keyop jumped to his feet.

"It's the symbolism of the whole thing, Keyop." Tiny told the boy. "If Mark can be defeated, then we all can."

"Not if we work together." Jason insisted, yet the words sounded hollow, even to his ears. After all, hadn't they been working together at the very moment that Mark had been turned to stone?

"Could we replace Mark?" Princess asked suddenly, her eyes darting over toward Jason. "Jason is the G-Force commander now. Maybe if he wore one of Mark's uniforms, and presented himself to the public, they might be convinced that we could defend ourselves?"

"You're asking us to lie to the citizens of the Federation." Chief Anderson's mouth twisted wryly. "I can't say that I didn't consider something like that myself, a couple of days ago. Yet in the end, our dishonesty would be exposed. Zoltar would call us out, noting Jason's absence, and we would be forced to admit that we were trying to cover things up. That would be even worse for us."

"So what do we do now?" Tiny asked.

"For now, you won't do anything, other than stay out of sight, here at Center Poseidon." the Chief told them. "I'm going to head to Center City, to speak with President Kane."

"And then?" Jason asked.

"I will let you know when the Federation requires your services again." Chief Anderson evaded the question.

"Services?" Keyop questioned. "Fighting? Or surrender?"

"I wish I could tell you." the Chief sighed.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Before leaving to consult with President Kane, Chief Anderson ordered everyone to remain at Center Poseidon, and advised them strongly to stay away from all media, including television broadcasts and the interplanetary-net.

"Everyone is going to be talking about this, and most of what they say will be things you don't want to hear." the Chief told them. Jason understood what Chief Anderson was trying to say, but decided to pass his own judgment on the issue. He knew that all of the G-Force members had 'sneaked a peek' at the news broadcasts from time to time in the few days since the Chief had left, yet no one seemed to want to speak about the matter. Training sessions were automatic, all of them going through the motions, yet not really putting their hearts into their actions. They rarely spoke to each other, and avoided each other whenever possible. The ready room became a ghost town, each of them ghosting in and out without leaving so much as a trace of their presence. Jason didn't sleep, and from the little he saw of the others, he suspected that none of them were getting much rest either. Their cerebonics were designed to provide for such situations, yet their use was limited. All of them were approaching the boundaries of their implants' capabilities.

For Jason, it all came to a head one evening when he came across Princess weeping on the couch in the ready room. The moment he saw her, Jason wanted to turn around and depart, pretending he had never witnessed this moment of weakness. Yet he also knew that as commander (albeit a weak replacement for their real commander) it was his job to help her through her despair, even if he was unable to work through his own.

He didn't speak, merely came forward slowly, hands spread in a non-threatening manner, as if approaching a frightened animal. Princess must have heard him, yet she did not move, perhaps wishing that he would simply go away. A large part of him wanted to do just that, yet he was already committed to action. Gently, he sat down beside her, and when she didn't protest, he pulled her into his arms, encouraging her head to drop onto his chest.

It wasn't long before his t-shirt was completely soaked through. Princess sobbed silently, shuddering with her grief. Her body collapsed against his, as if she were no longer able to old herself upright, relying entirely upon him for support. For a long time they sat there, Princess crying, and Jason holding her, watching the waters outside the windows get darker and wondering how the heck he had gotten himself into this mess.

Eventually Jason noticed that his shirt had begun to dry, and that while Princess was still trembling, she was no longer crying. She shifted position against him, tilting her face upward so that she could look at him from underneath a curtain of hair.

"Thanks." she whispered, so quietly that he barely heard her.

"Sure." he replied, moving to take back his arms, which had lost all feeling some time ago. Yet Princess snuggled closer, preventing him from drawing away. Her arms slid slowly around his waist, her head resting comfortably on his shoulder. A pleasant warmth spread throughout his body, and suddenly Jason wasn't eager to pull back any longer.

"Has it been like that the whole time?" he asked.

"Off and on." she admitted. "Today was worse. I was watching the news."

"Oh." No more needed to be said. Jason was also keeping up with what has happening in the rest of the Federation. As expected, the citizens were demanding that the Federation accept Zoltar's offer of surrender. President Kane was telling everyone that Galaxy Security had 'plans' in place, but naturally no one as saying what those plans were. The public was crying out for G-Force to appear, for the commander to show himself, proving that Zoltar's words were a lie. But the more time passed without any appearance of the team, the more the Federation citizens felt betrayed by their former heroes. It was getting to the point where some very nasty things were being said about G-Force, and that was on the respected news networks. Jason couldn't even imagine what the tabloid channels were saying, and he didn't want to find out.

"I didn't mean to take it personally. I know people are just frightened." Princess was saying. "And I didn't mind so much when they said things about me, or you, or Tiny, or Keyop. But the things they said about Mark were just too much. They didn't even know him! How can they judge him like that? He's not even here to defend himself!"

"We knew him." Jason told her. "We know the truth. That's what matters."

"Yes, we knew him." Princess sighed. "But he's gone now. Part of me feels silly for getting so upset, since he's not in a position to care. But then I miss him all the more."

"I can understand why you miss him." Jason acknowledged. "You two were very close."

"Not as close as you." Princess replied. "The two of you seemed inseparable at times."

"Oh, trust me, we weren't inseparable." Jason recalled. "We disagreed on so many things. But the important stuff, that was the same."

"Funny," Princess sighed sadly, "when it came to the important stuff, Mark and I weren't in the same place at all."

"Huh?"

"Part of me wishes that Mark and I had been closer." Princess sighed wistfully. "But part of me is glad that we weren't. It's hard enough as it is, dealing with him being gone."

"I don't understand." Jason was confused. "Weren't you two together?"

"No." Princess shook her head. "What made you think that?"

"The way you acted around each other. All goopy-eyed and touchy-feely."

"What a romantic way to put it." Princess smiled ruefully. "You're right, it was that way, at first. But that was while we were still training. Once Mark was named commander and we were out on missions, it was different."

"Different, how?"

"He told me that it wasn't appropriate for us to be together when I was reporting to him. That it wasn't fair to the rest of you."

"We never minded." Jason shrugged. "We assumed you guys had something going on."

"We didn't. Mark just pulled back. The commander of G-Force became a new identity for him. And there wasn't much of a place for me in there. I always knew that once the war was over, there was the chance that it might be different, but of course we never got that chance." Her eyes began to glisten once more, and she looked away.

"Wow." Jason didn't know what to say, only that he desperately wanted to make Princess feel better, so he uttered the first thing that popped into his head. "I wish I'd known."

"You do? Why?"

"Because then I wouldn't have held back."

"Held back?"

"Well, you know." His cheeks flushed as he realized what he had just admitted.

"No." Princess stared at him. "I don't know. But I'm beginning to wonder."

He looked away, not liking where this conversation was going.

"Jason, were you interested in me?"

"Maybe." he replied, still refusing to look at her. "For a short while. But you were with Mark and he was my best friend, so I never seriously thought about it."

"But you would have been?"

"Maybe." he repeated himself. "Look, does it make any difference now? It's water under the bridge."

"Maybe it does make a difference," Princess said softly, "if we're going to die."

"Wait a minute, who said anything about dying?"

"That's what Zoltar has in mind, isn't it?" Princess asked him. "If we have to surrender ourselves, then he'll turn that Medusarray on us. Maybe technically it's not death, but it's certainly ceasing to exist."

"Is that what you think?" Jason asked. "That President Kane and Chief Anderson are just going to hand over the entire Federation to Zoltar?"

"They will if it's their only choice. If it's the only way to save the innocent citizens of the Federation. And we'll do it too. We always knew that being part of G-Force might mean that we would have to sacrifice ourselves for the good of the people. Even if we never imagined it quite this way."

Jason grimaced, realizing that she was right. Still, it was a bitter pill to take. He resolved to go down fighting, no matter what happened. He owed it to Mark, he owed it to the Federation, and he owed it to himself.

"I guess, if these are going to be my last days, I just wanted to feel loved." Princess admitted. "I'm sorry, Jason. I didn't mean to pressure you. I suppose we're all dealing with this in different ways."

"Yeah." Jason replied, his thoughts awhirl. "No problem."

Princess didn't see Jason much for the next couple of days. During training sessions he was distant, as were the others, and then he vanished from sight immediately afterwards. Of course, after what she had done, Princess supposed she couldn't blame him. He had been trying to comfort her, and she had put him on the spot in the worst way possible. No wonder he didn't want to talk to her! She had been wrong to bring it up.

Still, the isolation was getting to her. Even Keyop wanted to be alone, although occasionally she heard him wandering the corridors of Center Poseidon, just as she did. Everyone was simply waiting for Chief Anderson to return, and tell them what the Federation had decided to do.

But Princess couldn't wait any longer. Chief Anderson had to be back sometime soon. She could go by his office, see if his assistants knew anything. And if they wouldn't tell her, she could ask Zark. The thought of begging Zark for a favor sickened her stomach, but she knew the robot would tell her, with the right persuasion.

Fortunately, it didn't come to that. As she approached the Chief's office, she heard his voice coming through the partially open door. A black travel bag had been hastily dumped on the floor outside. It seemed as if he had just returned.

Hesitantly, Princess approached the door, not wanting to disturb Chief Anderson if he was in the middle of something important. She glanced inside, and realized that he was on the phone. She was shocked to see that the usually immaculate Chief was wearing rumpled clothes, had dark circles under his eyes, and looked like he hadn't shaved or slept in days. His hair stuck up on end, as if he had been trying to pull it out of his head. It was clear that Chief Anderson had been taking this just as hard as anyone on the G-Force team.

"It's the only way." the Chief was saying. "There is no other choice."

Despite herself, Princess' ears perked up. She knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, but she was so desperate for news. What was the Chief going to do?

"It's risky, I agree," he continued, "but the 326 Plan is our only hope. If we surrender, we've lost everything, so there's really nothing to lose."

Risky? Nothing to lose? That didn't sound good.

"I don't care if Zoltar gets angry!" Chief Anderson shouted suddenly, causing Princess to jump in surprise. "That megalomaniac is the cause of all of our problems! When I think of how many times I instructed the commander not to kill him, but to bring him back for a fair trial, it makes me sick! If we had killed Zoltar long ago, this wouldn't be happening now."

Kill Zoltar? But that was against everything the Federation stood for! The Chief had always insisted that Zoltar be captured and brought back for trial, so the people of the Federation and the Spectran Empire could see that he was being treated fairly.

"I'm glad you see my point of view." the Chief sighed, a deflated sound that filled Princess with hopelessness. "Whether Zoltar is happy, or angry, he will eventually turn the Medusarray on us. It's worth the risk." He paused a moment before speaking again.

"Yes." he replied to the person on the other end of the phone. "I've got people working on it already. They should be ready to activate. I'm going to check on the project immediately, and I'll get back to you with an update."

Realizing that the call was ending, Princess stepped guiltily away from the door, acting as if she was just stepping into the office suite. She heard the Chief end the conversation, and nearly walked into him as he stormed out of his office.

"Princess!" he yelped, clearly taken by surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I realized you were back." she said, gesturing to the travel bag on the floor. "I wanted to know what President Kane said. What has the Federation decided to do?"

"I'm afraid I can't discuss that right now." The Chief attempted to push by her, but Princess held her ground.

"We need to do something!" she pleaded. "We can't just keep sitting around here. Whatever you've got planned, whatever you're doing, please let us help you!"

"I can't tell you what we have planned." Chief Anderson said, his expression grim. "But you will know eventually, of that you can be sure. As for how you can help, you can accept what I've told you now, and be ready to accept anything I tell you in the future. Ultimately, I will need all of you for this plan to work, but not until the final stages."

"So there _is_ a plan." Princess sagged with relief. "But how? When?"

"I can't tell you anything right now." the Chief reiterated, before rushing out of the room. His answer left Princess entirely unsatisfied. There had to be a way to discover what was going on. There had to be a way she could help.

She just had to discover what it was.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Jason!" Princess cried, relieved to have finally found the new G-Force commander. He was sitting in one of the submarine docking bays, staring at the water as it lapped at the edge of the walkway.

"What?" he snapped, turning toward her with a frustrated expression. Yet his face softened somewhat when he realized whom it was who had disturbed him.

"Sorry." Princess apologized. "But I need your help, Jason. Chief Anderson is back, but he won't tell me what's going on. He has some kind of plan, and he's being very close-mouthed about it."

"So you asked him?"

"Of course I did!"

"And what did he say?"

"He said that he couldn't discuss it right now."

"Well there you have your answer." Jason shrugged. "The Chief won't give up anything if he doesn't want to."

"But he might tell you." Princess insisted. "You're the commander! You should know what's going on!"

"First of all, the Chief would never tell me what was going on unless he felt I absolutely had to know that minute." Jason grimaced. "He doesn't trust me with too much information. After all, I'm too hotheaded."

"Jason, you know that's not true." Princess stepped forward, reaching out to place a supportive hand on his arm.

"Doesn't matter if it is or not. The Chief thinks it's true, and that's enough." Jason spat. "He's not going to tell me anything, not if he didn't tell you, when you asked."

"Oh." Princess' shoulders sagged. "I guess you're right."

"Wait a minute." Jason turned to her. "If the Chief were to tell me something, but not you, it would be because he only wanted the commander to know."

"I suppose."

"But you expect me to turn around and tell you anyway, against the Chief's wishes, just because you want to know?"

"Well, I-" Princess was at a loss for words. It did sound rather unethical, when he put it that way.

"Yes." she admitted. "At least, I was hoping you would tell me anyway."

"It's that important to you?"

"Isn't it that important to you?"

"Yeah." he nodded, turning his gaze back over to the water. "I can see why you'd want to know. I want to know too. All of this sitting around, doing nothing, is driving me insane."

"I did hear something." Princess offered. "I don't know what it means, but the Chief was on the phone when I got there. He was saying something about a 326 plan, that it was risky, that it might make Zoltar angry, but that he didn't care."

"326?" Jason's head turned sharply to look at her, and Princess had the sudden feeling that she was being interrogated. "Are you sure that's what he said? A 326 plan?"

"Pretty sure." Princess shivered under his intense scrutiny.

"I've seen that number before." Jason's brow furrowed as he searched his memories. "I know! It was on the Chief's desk!"

"On his desk?" Princess asked, excitement rising in her veins.

"When Keyop came back, we were called to meet him in the Chief's office." Jason recalled. "There were some papers on his desk, and they said 326." He squinted at the water, as if he could see the memory in the lapping waves. "CPL326. That was it."

"CPL326?" A cold tremor went down Princess' spine as she recalled where she too had seen that code before. "That was on the tank."

"The tank?" Jason appeared confused for a moment, but then his eyes widened as he understood what she was referencing. "In the hospital, when we went to see Keyop."

"Yes! Do you think they're related? CPL326 and the 326 plan?"

"It all depends on what CPL means." Jason thought out loud. "CPL. If it were just CP, I'd say it meant Center Poseidon."

"It does!" Princess grinned, her mind racing a mile a minute. "You're right, Jason! When this base was being created, they built the rooms on solid ground, then sealed them before bringing them underwater, and Center Poseidon was assembled like a bunch of building blocks. So most of the rooms were based off of standard layouts, and they had construction codes, to refer to the different models."

"How do you know this?" Jason asked, amazed.

"I pay attention." Princess teased. "Actually, I was helping the Chief with design and layout."

"I forgot about that." Jason admitted. "Well, it's coming in handy now. So what does L stand for?"

"Laboratory!" Princess dredged the code from her memory. "So CPL means Center Poseidon Laboratory! And 326?" Her mouth formed a perfect o of surprise as something occurred to her.

"What is it?" Jason wanted to know. "Have you broken the code?"

"I think so." Princess whispered. "Maybe." She looked up at Jason, whose face bore a mixture of curiosity and impatience.

"I think maybe it's a room number." she told him uncertainly.

"You mean, we just go to room 326 on the base and there it is?" Jason asked disbelievingly. "That sounds too easy."

"It does sound easy." Princess agreed. "Except for one thing."

"What's that?"

"There are no room numbers below 400 on this base."

"What? Why not?"

"The first number is the level." Princess explained. "So all rooms starting with 6 are on the sixth level, rooms starting with 8 are on the eighth level, and so on."

"So we'd have to go to the third level."

"But there is no third level. At least, not one we could access."

"Why not?"

"The first 3 levels of Center Poseidon were only used during construction." Princess explained. "Once level 4 was complete, they filled the lower levels with stabilizers, and left a few areas open to fill with seawater, for use as ballast. But there are no areas below level 4 that humans can enter. I think maybe they have a couple of water-proofed maintenance robots, but that's it."

"Sounds perfect." Jason noted.

"Perfect for what?"

"An area of Galaxy Security's remote base that is inaccessible to people seems like the ideal location for a top secret laboratory, wouldn't you say?"

"You mean, Chief Anderson built a secret laboratory on level 3 and never told any of us?"

"You don't get it, do you?" Jason asked, a note of irritation in his voice. "There's so much the Chief doesn't tell us. Maybe he told Mark a little more than he does us, but there are still plenty of secrets. After all, we're just kids. It's not like we're putting our lives on the line every day."

"That's a little heavy on the sarcasm, Jason."

"Still, I think my point has been made."

"Fine. I'll agree. You have a point." Princess admitted. "Chief Anderson has certainly surprised us with timely information before. All right, let's say that you're right, that there is a secret part of level 3 that can be accessed, and that it contains this 326 laboratory. If that's true, then how do we get to level 3?"

"Why from level 4, of course." Jason grinned.

They started searching immediately, but were hampered during working hours by the presence of maintenance personnel. The majority of level 4 was taken up by the engine rooms, which contained machines powerful enough to move the massive base across the ocean floor, while at the same time providing power to the entire facility. There were also two backup systems, so that even in an emergency Center Poseidon would remain completely functional.

However once the technicians had retired for the night, they left only a skeleton crew to monitor the area in case of problems. The few personnel who remained were hardly a problem for two young people trained in stealth and subterfuge. Princess and Jason eschewed sleep in favor of determining whether or not the mysterious level 3 actually existed.

Part of the problem was that they didn't know exactly what they were looking for, so after a cursory examination of the entire area, they began searching more methodically, thoroughly analyzing each section before moving on to the next.

It was approximately two hours after midnight when Princess discovered that one of the maintenance readout screens on the wall wasn't actually connected to any of the engines. With an intuition born of years of training and practical experience, she felt underneath the screen, pleased to discover a small catch. Depressing the catch in the standard Federation manner did not prove to be successful, but when she clicked it in G-Force secret code, it swung open, revealing a thin lever that appeared innocuous, despite the secrecy of its location.

"Got it." she reported through her communicator. Less than a minute later, Jason was at her side, staring at the lever intently.

"If this isn't it, then it's something else just as big." he decided, pulling the lever to activate it. There was a slight hum, and the side of one of the engines retracted into the body of the machine, revealing an entrance.

"An elevator!" Princess realized, as she moved inside the small chamber.

"Retinal eye scan." Jason noted, looking at the elevator's control panel.

"Well we won't get past that." Princess noted, her intense gaze scanning the interior. She grinned as she saw exactly what she was looking for.

"I know what you're thinking." Jason grinned, pulling out one of his feather darts. He knelt down on the floor, using the dart's metallic tip to pry up the repair hatch in the corner, pulling it open to expose the shaft below them. He stood up, moving his arm to transform, but Princess stopped him.

"Let's keep it simple, shall we?" she smirked, taking out her yo-yo from her pocket. She attached the weapon to the elevator's interior, then moved over next to Jason.

"Fair enough." he told her, wrapping his arms around her waist as she lowered them through the hatch and down into the shaft. They descended perhaps fifteen meters before alighting on the bottom, in front of a closed double door. It took the two of them to pull the door open, but they did so without much effort.

"Looks like we found level 3." Jason observed, as they stepped out into a sterile corridor.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

After what Princess had described earlier, level 3 didn't turn out to be what Jason had expected. There were no dank, damp corridors, no machinery, no sense of abandonment. Instead, what they discovered was an empty, sterile corridor, lined with a handful of non-descript doors. There were no signs of anyone about, and the area was dark, illuminated only by the soft blue of emergency lighting.

"This definitely isn't a ballast tank." Princess stated the obvious, her head swiveling as she tried to determine which way to go.

"There it is." Jason pointed as his eyes fell on the number he had been half-hoping they wouldn't find.

"326." Princess whispered, running her fingertips lightly across the numbers painted on the wall. Not surprisingly, the door to the laboratory was locked, but it was only a matter of seconds before Princess was able to convince it to open. Apparently, the hidden location of this room was assumed to be sufficient security, as no handprint or eye scan was required for entrance.

The chamber they entered was set up in a hub-and-spoke pattern, with the center of the hub occupied by a series of control panels and monitors, all of them blinking and humming with the air of equipment that saw constant operation. As with the outside corridor, the room was dark, with only the blue emergency lighting. There were 6 evenly-spaced alcoves jutting off of the main hub, one of them containing the small entrance area in which Jason and Princess were standing.

They stood still for a moment, their eyes taking in the array of unknown technology in front of them, before Jason's natural impatience snapped him out of it. He stepped out into the hub, ignoring the machinery there and moving over to the small alcove on the left.

"Tiny!" he gasped, upon seeing what lay within.

"What happened to him?" Princess asked, placing her hands on the luminous glass tank in front of them. The pilot was floating naked within a container filled with liquid, identical to the one they had seen in Keyop's room at the medical center a couple of weeks before. Since the return of the youngest G-Force member to the team, Jason had almost forgotten how creepy the entire thing had been, but now those nightmares came back to him in a cold rush.

"He looks fine." Jason noted shakily, his eyes scanning Tiny's body for any sign of injury.

"He's lost weight." Princess observed. " And he's not breathing. Just like Keyop." Her hands trembled, and Jason could see that she was starting to lose it.

"It's okay." he reassured her, taking her hand in his, squeezing it gently and encouraging it to be still. He felt her relax slightly, and she looked at him with a questioning gaze.

"Whatever's wrong with him, they'll fix it." He said the first thing that came to his mind. "Just like they did with Keyop."

"Sure." Princess nodded, yet there was little confidence in her response. They backed away quietly from the tank, moving into the next alcove. But when they saw what was in there, Princess cried out, clutching at Jason for support.

"No!" she sobbed. "Not again!"

But it was. Keyop was in this tank, looking exactly as he had in the medical center. Unfortunately, this included missing the lower portion of his right leg.

"Did his body reject the new leg?" Jason wondered aloud, attempting to keep a firm rein on his fears. "Maybe they're replacing it?"

"I thought it had been regenerated onto his body." Princess sobbed. "I've been avoiding him and Tiny, not wanting to speak to anyone, and now, to know that they've both been going through this, all alone! They must feel so abandoned!"

"They're not awake." Jason pointed out. "They're not feeling anything." Yet he could understand what Princess was saying. To know that the friends he had eschewed these past few days had been down here all along, fighting for their lives, made him feel like a louse.

"Oh, Keyop." Princess sighed, tears running down her face. "I'm so sorry! I didn't know."

"I don't think they would have let you down here, even if you had known." Jason reminded her. "It's not like we were invited to be in this place."

"We can't just leave them!" Princess insisted.

"What else can we do?" Jason asked her. "If they're injured, here they're receiving help. What we can do is confront the Chief, and ensure that we get to visit them, to help them through their recoveries." Jason sagged with relief as Princess nodded, understanding the truth in his words.

"Come on, let's get out of here." he suggested. Something inside of him whispered that he really didn't want to see what else was in this disturbing laboratory, and he was all too willing to follow that instinct.

"No." Princess shook her head. "It took a lot for us to come down here, and I want to know what's in here. I need to know."

"Okay." he reluctantly agreed, taking her hand in his once more. Outwardly, he projected his usual confidence, but inside, he was just as glad for the human contact as she.

They left Keyop's alcove, then turned the corner to look into the next one. What they saw there made Jason's blood run cold, and he gripped Princess' hand tightly, to convince himself that she was really there, standing next to him.

That she was standing next to him, and not floating in the tank in front of him.

"But I'm not -!" Princess' strangled cry tore at Jason's heart, yet all he could do was swivel his head, staring both at her, and at the woman floating in the tank: a woman who looked exactly like Princess.

"It's not me." Princess stated what should have been obvious, yet in this case clearly wasn't. She kept at least a meter's distance between herself and the tank, refusing to touch it, as she had the other two.

"That's not you," Jason repeated slowly, his mind working furiously to come up with an explanation for this nightmare, "so does that mean that the people we just saw _weren't_ Tiny and Keyop?"

"Maybe." Princess replied, her face taking on a modicum of color for the first time since they had entered the room. "Do you think that _this_ could be the 326 plan?"

"Us?" Jason asked, thinking it over. "We're the 326 plan? But not us."

"You said, 'us'." Princess realized. "That means that you would also -"

Before she had finished speaking, they had dashed out of the alcove and into the next one, discovering what they both knew had to be there, but what Jason had desperately hoped did not exist.

He was floating in a clear tank, just like the others: naked and not breathing, but encased in a viscous liquid.

"That's not me." He unconsciously repeated Princess' words of a moment before. He whispered them again to himself, using them as a link to his identity, to his individuality. There was only one Jason Anderson. There could only be one Jason Anderson. And it was he.

Not that thing in there.

This time it was Princess squeezing his hand, bringing him back to reality. He grabbed at the lifeline she offered, desperate to believe that he was alive, that he existed, and that there was no other in his place.

"Is there another G-Force Team?" Princess asked him. "One who could fight Spectra if we were gone? Or one who could present themselves at the end of Zoltar's 30 days?"

For a moment he grabbed wildly at the idea, elated by the thought that they could somehow get out of this mess alive, with the time to prepare a counter-plan to Zoltar's demand for surrender. But then reality crashed in on him, and he realized that it would never work.

"That Keyop has no leg." He hooked his thumb back at the second alcove they had entered. "Zoltar wouldn't buy it." It took him a moment to realize that he had already disassociated the things they were seeing in these laboratory tanks with the people he knew.

"He knows Keyop was hit in the leg, but he doesn't know that the scientists here were able to regrow it." Princess argued. "It could work."

"Maybe." A flicker of hope began to grow inside of Jason. It was slim, and he did his best to squelch it, yet it stubbornly remained.

"Can these things even walk?" Jason asked. "Can they talk? Those robot doubles the Chief had made before weren't able to fool anyone if they opened their mouths."

"I don't know." Princess stepped closer to the tank, peering closely at the Jason-thing. "He looks like you. I mean, if I didn't know better, I'd say he was you." She glanced back at Jason, and he fought to keep himself from shaking.

"Don't do that." he whispered, the words slipping involuntarily from his lips.

"Do what?" she asked, looking back at the doppelganger.

"Compare us." he answered, unable to look at the tank. "Look at us like we're the same. That's _not_ me."

"I know it's not you, Jason." Princess began, but Jason interrupted her.

"Why don't we go look at her, then?" he asked, pointing at the alcove to their left, where the Princess-thing lay. "Compare her to you. See how much you two are alike."

"I get your point." Princess muttered, after a brief moment of shock at his suggestion. "Okay, why don't you go look at her, and I'll look at him?" She pointed at the Jason-thing.

"Uh, okay." Jason didn't like that idea either, but it was better than looking at his own double. He backed away slowly, Princess watching him the entire time. She turned back to the Jason-thing just as he moved out of sight of her.

Swallowing nervously, Jason forced himself to stare at the Princess-thing. He discovered that it didn't bother him nearly so much as looking at the Jason-thing. At least, not as long as he didn't think about what Princess was doing in the alcove next to him.

Carefully, he examined the woman's face, examining its every angle and curve. Surprisingly, he found that he was easily able to picture the real Princess in his mind, such that he was able to compare every feature in minute detail. He didn't realize how much time he had spent unconsciously memorizing Princess' face. From what he could tell, there was no difference between the two.

Their hair was similar as well, the same color and heaviness, although this Princess' hair was slightly longer. In the liquid it was difficult to tell, but it also seemed to have the waves and slight curl of the real Princess' hair.

Jason had a little more difficulty when it came to the rest of Princess' body, as he wasn't used to seeing certain parts of her exposed. While he saw her arms and legs bared plenty in her G-Force uniform, her chest, her torso, and other parts - Jason flushed when his eyes came to those other parts - were entirely new to him. Something inside of him stirred. He knew this wasn't Princess, but he couldn't help recalling all of those times when he had been younger, fantasizing about what Princess looked like underneath her clothes. And this woman, as far as he could tell, was her exact double. His eyes roamed guiltily, yet he found he was unable to stop himself from committing the sight to memory.

"Uh, Jason?" Princess called over to him.

"Yeah?" he croaked, hoping that she didn't realize what he was doing.

"Um, do you have a mole?" she asked shyly, causing his head to jerk up. He did have a mole, but it was located -

"Let me see." He moved swiftly over to the other alcove, only to find Princess turning bright red the moment she saw him. Forcing himself not to look at the Jason-thing's face, he glanced at the upper thighs.

"Yeah." he confirmed. "It looks like mine."

"So you have a mole there." Princess' eyes involuntarily swung to the fly of his jeans, then back toward the Jason-thing.

"Were you checking me out?" he teased, intending the question as a joke. Yet he felt his throat clench as her deepening blush gave him an answer he hadn't been expecting.

"That's what we're supposed to be doing, right?" she stammered.

"So did you find anything else?" he asked, taking pity on her and attempting to change the subject.

"He doesn't have your scars." Princess said in a rush.

"My scars?"

"The one on your jaw, and the little one on your left hand." she explained. Jason stared at his hand, then lifted it up to touch his face. The scars Princess mentioned were leftovers of the violent attack that had killed his parents when he had been just a boy. They had faded to such a pale color that often he didn't notice them anymore. Or perhaps that was just because he tried not to be aware of them, not wanting to recall their origin. Yet he never realized that Princess had noticed them.

"Did you see anything different about her?" Princess was asking.

"Uh, her hair is longer." Jason replied hastily. "That's about it."

"I guess they're pretty similar, then." she summarized. "But there's one other thing."

"What?" He didn't like the ominous tone her voice had taken.

"Down there." she pointed at the underside of the Jason-thing's head. Not quite understanding what she was talking about Jason walked over, doing his best to avoid looking at the doppelganger's face. Carefully, he crouched down, angling his view so that he could look at the back of the Jason-thing's head.

Or what should have been the back of his head. A gaping wound exposed a hole in his skull, the brain tissue beneath clearly visible. Yet even so, it didn't look quite right.

"Part of the skull and some of the brain tissue is missing." Princess whispered. "And I got to thinking. What happened last year when you had those dizzy spells and headaches?"

"It was an implant malfunction." Jason backed away from the tank, keeping his eyes away from its occupant. "They had to open up my head and adjust some things, but after that everything was okay. I recovered."

"What if that wasn't everything they did?" Princess asked. "What if they had to replace something?"

"Something?" Jason frowned. "Like brain tissue?"

Princess nodded slowly.

"The doctors did say something about permanent brain damage." he recalled. "But I was half under at the time; I think they thought I was completely out of it. At the time I thought they were talking about the risks of the surgery, of opening up my head." He looked down at the Jason-thing, for the first time staring it full in the face.

"Did you donate some brain tissue to me?" he asked the floating body. Naturally, it didn't respond.

"Just like the Keyop in the tank back there donated a leg to our Keyop." Princess finished the thought. "Maybe that's what these things are, Jason."

"Spare body parts?" Jason frowned. "To be brought out when needed?"

"Is it really that far-fetched an idea?" Princess asked him. "Being a member of G-Force is a dangerous job."

"I suppose you're right." Jason admitted. "But still, the idea of these things here, just waiting for one of us to get injured-"

His head snapped up, staring at Princess in shock. His thoughts were mirrored across her face, and she whispered almost imperceptibly.

"Mark."

Jason rose to a stand, moving forward, Princess accompanying him at his side. Together they walked quickly to the last alcove: the only one they had not yet examined.

It was empty.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

What did it mean? Princess tossed and turned for half the night, finding restful sleep too elusive for her to grasp with all of the thoughts rolling around in her head. What she and Jason had discovered was astonishing, but what they hadn't discovered was even more so.

Why had there been no double for Mark? Had there ever been one, or had these things been created after he had been turned to stone? If there had been a double for Mark, where had it gone?

It seemed that she must have gone to sleep after all, because she woke up shivering in Jason's arms. They were lying on the ready room couch, the morning sunlight filtering in through the waters outside of the window. Groaning, Princess stretched slightly, not wanting to disturb her companion.

"It's okay. I'm awake." Jason muttered.

"Did you sleep at all?" she asked him.

"Don't think so." he groaned. "But it's hard to tell. Were those nightmares, or just my thoughts?"

"I know the feeling." Princess grimaced. "Thanks for staying with me last night."

"I was glad for the company too." he admitted. "That laboratory was pretty freaky."

"I just keep wondering where Mark could be."

"If it exists, it's not Mark." Jason was quick to respond. "Just like those other things aren't us."

"Right." Princess sighed, understanding exactly how Jason felt. "But if the Chief knows anything, we have to find out what it is."

"_If_ the Chief knows anything?" Jason snorted in disgust. "Of course he knows something! He knows everything! He was the one you heard talking about this 326 Plan, wasn't he? And I saw those documents on his desk. And he was the one who didn't want you visiting Keyop when his leg was being 'regenerated'."

"All right, I get your point." Princess snapped, sitting up and holding her head in her hands. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

"Sorry." she mumbled. "You're not the one I'm angry with. I know you're just trying to help."

"It's okay." Jason nodded appreciatively. "Trust me, I understand how you feel."

"Yeah." Princess looked over, catching Jason's eye, connecting with him somehow through their shared glance. "I guess you do."

"It feels weird," he blurted, "having someone actually understand how I feel."

"Huh?"

"Usually I'm the one with the outside opinion." he reminded her.

"Oh." Princess considered that for a moment. "I guess I never thought of it that way." She shifted closer to Jason, who was now sitting up on the other end of the couch. Her heart contracted for him, suddenly understanding how he had always considered himself something of an outsider.

"You're not alone." she assured him. "I'm here with you. Keyop and Tiny are behind you too. You're our commander now, and we'll support you."

"I'll need it." he sighed, staring blankly out at the fish. "The Chief isn't going to be happy that we discovered his little project, and even less so when we start questioning him on it."

"Let's go find Tiny and Keyop." Princess suggested. "They need to know about this too."

"I don't know about that." Jason disagreed. "I mean, they definitely should know. But not until we can get some answers from the Chief. Do you really want them having nightmares about this, like we are? They're stressed out about things as it is."

"You've got a point." Princess replied. "I think Keyop's dealing with enough as it is, and Tiny wouldn't be able to keep anything from him. Okay, we'll talk to the Chief, and then Tiny and Keyop, once we get some answers."

"No time like the present." Jason gestured toward the door.

"Sure. Um," Princess glanced at the door, then down to the floor, "could you give me a few minutes to freshen up? I'd like to at least brush my hair before we go see the Chief."

"You look great." Jason reached out, gently tugging at an errant curl at her shoulder. The tender gesture surprised her, and she found herself smiling in response. She cocked her head to the side, studying him as he twisted the small lock of hair around his finger. She felt inexplicably happy. She felt warm.

She felt incredibly shy.

In turn, the shyness filled her with uncertainty. She wasn't used to the sensation; she had lost her shyness long ago, during those difficult years at the orphanage when she had literally had to fight for her life. Yet she had felt this way last night as well, when she had been examining the body of Jason's double. Images flashed through her mind: the hard muscles of his chest, the taut skin of his torso, the curve of his buttock, the unexpectedly large male organ between his legs. She hadn't meant to see Jason's body in that light, yet it had happened all the same.

Her breathing quickened, and she felt her pulse racing. There was something in his eyes, drawing her closer, pulling her in. His hand was no longer playing with one curl, but had buried itself in her hair, brushing against her neck. As one, they leaned forward, inching closer together.

She wasn't ready for this. It was too much. A wave of fear overwhelmed her.

"The Chief." Princess stammered. "We have to find the Chief."

"Right." Jason nodded, his face still close to hers, his eyes filled with compassion. "Let's go." He trailed his hand slowly away from her neck, across to her shoulder, and down her arm. When he reached her hand, she gave his fingers a small squeeze as they passed by, grateful for his understanding.

"And we can drop by our quarters to freshen up for a moment first." he suggested, as they rose from the couch.

"Thanks."

She smiled again, glad that he was with her. He was a wonderful friend. He was her commander. But he wasn't the commander she wanted.

Was he?

They were unable to locate Chief Anderson. Although Princess had seen him with her own eyes the afternoon before, his assistants swore up and down that the Chief had never returned, and then they disappeared as well, nowhere to be found when Jason and Princess returned to question them later. None of the Center Poseidon personnel knew where Chief Anderson was, or if they did, they weren't talking. Princess was reduced to her last, desperate strategy of begging Zark for information, yet even the robot (who for some strange, creepy reason, had never been immune to her feminine charms) would only tell her that the Chief was working on an 'important project' and couldn't be disturbed. He refused to give any details on this project, and told Princess that even mentioning its existence to her was a 'slip of the tongue'.

They had come to a dead end.

"How long do you think this 'project' will take?" Princess asked Jason, frustrated with their lack of progress.

"As long as the Chief wants to remain in hiding." Jason grimaced. "It's pretty obvious that he doesn't want to talk to any of us, and whatever he's going to do, he sure isn't going to run it by G-Force. He'll just show up when he's ready and drop it on us."

"You don't think he'd warn us? Give us any information?"

"Not unless it was to his advantage." Jason shrugged. Princess was both astonished and fascinated by his view of the Chief. Jason just seemed to accept that Chief Anderson had ulterior motives, and that G-Force were simply pawns: a tool in his arsenal to be manipulated and used as necessary. Princess had always assumed that the Chief had their best interests at heart, and wouldn't do anything to hurt them. She began to wonder if both points of view could exist at the same time, and decided that her foster father was a complex enough man that anything was possible.

"So what about Tiny and Keyop?" she asked finally. "If we can't get to the Chief, is it right to keep them in the dark?"

"Maybe not, but I don't think it helps them to know right now." Jason replied thoughtfully. "Trust me, I'm all for not keeping secrets, but if we told them, they'd want to see the lab. And if they saw the lab, they're freak out, just like we did." He looked away for a moment, and Princess suddenly realized how much that small admission had cost him. Jason didn't like to admit to being afraid of anything, yet the sight of their doubles in the tanks had clearly had an unsettling effect on the new commander.

"I wish Mark were here." Princess blurted out suddenly, reddening when she realized how Jason might take that statement. "I mean, he was always the one I went to for advice when I didn't know what to do."

"I don't blame you for missing him." Jason told her. "I miss him too. And I sure as heck don't know what to do, so his advice would be welcome."

"I think he would say to trust Chief Anderson." Princess decided, after a long moment. "Mark was always certain that the Chief had our best interests at heart."

"Or at least the Federation's best interests." Jason nodded. "I think you're right. That's what he would say. But even so, I want to ask the Chief about that laboratory when we see him again."

"And I'll be right with you." Princess assured him.

Days turned into weeks, and Zoltar's deadline was fast approaching. Yet there was no sign of Chief Anderson returning, and life at Center Poseidon settled into an uneasy routine, whereby no one interacted with anyone else unless they had to, and the entire base held the air of a deathwatch. In a way, Jason supposed that was exactly the case: If Chief Anderson didn't enact his miraculous plan within the next couple of days, G-Force would have to sacrifice themselves to Zoltar, one way or the other, whether through direct surrender or by confronting the Spectran madman when he attempted to turn the Medusarray on the cities of Riga.

The only bright spot in the entire affair was Princess. Jason had always been the loner of G-Force, staying on the fringes even when the entire group was together. Now, weighed down by his role of commander, taking on responsibility for the entire G-Force team, he felt that burden even more, yet somehow, Princess was able to lighten his load. He was able to share his thoughts and feelings with her, and in doing so, she somehow made them seem manageable. He didn't have to worry about touching on dark secrets, because she already knew everything about him. He didn't bother holding back his true thoughts, because deep down he knew that she wouldn't judge him harshly, regardless of his opinions. She was open and giving, listening to his thoughts and helping him bounce ideas back and forth. In return, he listened to her fears, taking them seriously and helping her through the emotional upheaval that came with their present situation. And through it all, he found himself coming to look forward to her presence, enjoying her company, glad that in at least one way, this crisis had brought about something good.

He hadn't pushed her since that day in the ready room, when the connection between them had been so strong, it had been almost electric. He had recognized her reticence, and understood its source. If something more were to happen between them, Jason wanted it to be because of what Princess felt, not because of what he felt. He could sense that her attitude toward him was shifting, and he was willing to wait, although with Zoltar's deadline approaching, he presumed that these feelings would be resolved, one way or the other, in the very near future. However static their lives at Center Poseidon seemed, it was destined to all come to an end, sooner rather than later.

"Want some breakfast?" he asked, leaning in the doorway of the ready room. Princess was playing her guitar, a soft, melancholy tune drifting out of the instrument as she strummed.

"I'm not hungry." she sighed, looking over at him. "Do you realize that we only have two more days?"

"And how do you want to spend those days?" he asked her, walking over to sit next to her on the couch. "Moping around, or enjoying the only time we might have left?"

"You're not just going to surrender to Zoltar, are you?" Princess asked.

"Of course not." Jason told her. "I'm going to fight him every step of the way. It's what I was trained to do. What we were trained to do." He picked up her hand from where it was resting in the edge of the guitar, covering it with both of his own.

"I may go down fighting." Jason said honestly. "We all might go down fighting. But when I do, I want to remember something good about my life. Like being here with you."

"I'd like to remember that too." she admitted, smiling hesitantly.

"So with that in mind, what would you like to do today?" he asked her.

"I want to get out of this place," she sighed, "but I know that's not going to happen. So I guess, something to forget everything that's going on, even if only for an hour or two."

"A movie?"

"Maybe." Princess nodded. "Something silly. Something to make me laugh."

"Sounds good to me." Jason rose, holding out his hand to Princess. She smiled, accepting his offer, her fingers squeezing his as she stood on her tiptoes, brushing her lips across his cheek.

"You're just what I need." she murmured. His eyes searched hers, wondering if this was the moment he had been waiting for.

"Princess." he whispered, his heart beating faster. She smiled again, leaning forward, stretching her neck back to look up at him. He raised his other hand, gently grazing his knuckles along the soft skin of her throat. She made a soft, humming sound, curving the side of her face around to meet his touch.

"Jason." Her lips curved upward, and he could see the syllables of his name forming slowly on her tongue as she spoke. This time, he was being invited in, no barriers to hinder their connection. He bent his head down, closing his eyes.

Princess gasped as their wrists began to beep, their cosmic communicators lighting up with the sound of a summons.

"G-Force team, I need to see you in my office, right away." Chief Anderson's voice startled them out of their private moment. "Over and out." As much as he had been awaiting the Chief's return, Jason mentally cursed the man. His timing could not have been worse.

"It looks like we're going to have our chance to get some answers." Princess noted.

"And it looks like we're finally going to find out what the Chief's been doing." Jason added. "Let's go."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Princess' hand remained in Jason's the entire way to Chief Anderson's office. Her fingers seemed small and cold, making feel protective of her. No matter what they had said in the ready room only moments ago, he could tell that Princess was frightened. Whatever the Chief had to say, it would have to be truly significant to assuage her fears. For that matter, Jason had his own doubts, but he was willing to hear what Chief Anderson had to say regarding how they were going to get themselves out of this mess.

When they arrived, Tiny and Keyop were already there. Princess went to hug Keyop, sitting down on the couch next to him, while Jason assumed his usual pose along the wall. Tiny lounged in a chair, but his relaxed pose was at odds with his haggard face.

"Has anyone seen the Chief?" he asked them.

"I did." Princess told them. "For a few moments, a couple of weeks ago. He looked like he hadn't been getting much sleep, but he told me he was working on something."

"Hope so." Keyop said glumly. Jason could tell that the stress was even getting to the usually happy-go-lucky youngster.

"Let's see what he has to say." Jason said. "At this point, I'm willing to listen to almost anything."

"That's good to hear." Chief Anderson replied, as he walked into the room. "I know you have all been wondering where I've been for the past few weeks, and what I've been doing. Well I've brought someone with me who will help answer all of your questions." The Chief gestured to the door, beckoning someone inside.

"Mark!" Princess practically screamed as she jumped up from her seat, running over to the door and throwing her arms around the young man standing there. Jason couldn't stop staring as the man grinned widely, clearly enjoying Princess' effusive greeting.

"Mark?" Keyop's mouth was agape, his eyes wide as he gawked at the scene.

"Commander!" Tiny's smile nearly split his face in two as he walked to the door, clapping the man on the back.

"Mark?" Jason asked cautiously. How was this even possible? If he had been anywhere else, Jason would say that this was a Spectran trick. Yet it was Chief Anderson who had introduced the man to them.

"How did you escape from Zoltar?" Princess wanted to know, pulling back somewhat so she could look the man in the face, her eyes drinking in the sight of him. Something inside of Jason tightened and went cold, a nervous sweat breaking out on his brow.

"I didn't exactly escape." The man who looked like Mark appeared pleased, but embarrassed, reluctantly tearing himself away from Princess as Chief Anderson indicated that everyone should return to their seats. The other Mark sat down on the couch, much to the delight of Princess, who occupied the spot next to him.

_The other Mark_.

Images of the secret laboratory flashed through Jason's mind. They had all had doppelgangers. All of them, _except Mark_. Was it possible that this was the missing double?

"In order to explain Mark's presence here, I have to enlighten you as to the project we have undertaken." Chief Anderson began, once everyone was settled. "As you all know, you were the first people to ever receive cerebonic implants, and to this day, only members of the G-Force team have ever been implanted." Everyone nodded at this statement.

"While the projections were promising, we obviously did not have any prior experience with which to guide the implantation process." the Chief went on. "As such, your procedures were considered to be highly risky. So before each of you were implanted, we retrieved epithelial samples from you."

"Epithelial samples?" Tiny asked, confused.

"Stomach cells!" Keyop shouted, pleased to know the answer.

"Actually, there are epithelial cells in various locations throughout the body, but yes, usually samples are taken from the stomach lining." Chief Anderson nodded, smiling.

"Chief," Princess' face blanched, and she stared nervously at the man sitting next to her, "aren't epithelial cells usually used for cloning?" She pulled back slightly from the other Mark, and part of Jason couldn't help feeling pleased at her reaction. Clearly Princess had been able to put 2 and 2 together, just as Jason had. He wanted to approach her and show his support, but knew that this wasn't the time to do so.

"You are correct." the Chief confirmed. "Yes, this is a clone of the original Mark."

"A clone?" Tiny jumped to his feet, horrified. "You mean, it's not really Mark? Just a copy?"

"You took cells from all of us." Jason pointed out. "Are you saying there are clones of _everyone_ here?" He saw Princess' head jerk sharply as he spoke, her eyes closing as she processed this new idea. They both knew that there were doubles of all of them. What if they could _all_ be cloned? Replaced with walking, talking copies of themselves?

"No." Chief Anderson shook his head. "Not exactly."

"Then what did you do with all of these samples?" Tiny wanted to know.

"We did create alternates for each of you." the Chief admitted. "They were never intended to be activated, only used in case of emergency."

"Emergency?" Keyop questioned.

"Such as your leg." Chief Anderson told the boy. "You were told that we grew you a new leg. That is true. What you didn't know is that it had been done before you ever went on your first mission with G-Force."

"And when I had brain surgery?" Jason asked. "Then too?" He shuddered inwardly, recalling the hole in the Jason-thing's skull.

"That's right." the Chief confirmed. "We had to replace part of your brain tissue, Jason, and we had a perfect match. These alternates are perfect donors. If any of you were ever to need bone marrow, or blood transfusions, or replacement organs, we have the resources we need to ensure that you could recover from the most severe injuries."

"In the commander's case, it was more than an 'injury'." Jason pointed out, jerking his chin over at the other Mark.

"That's true. With Mark, we were faced with a situation we hadn't anticipated: no body to resuscitate, no remaining organic form to revive."

"A duplicate commander!" Keyop exclaimed. "Like the robots!"

"I get it!" Tiny appeared relieved. "Like the times when Keyop or Princess were missing, and we used dummies to convince Zoltar that the people he had captured weren't really G-Force."

"That's not it." Chief Anderson disagreed. "This is no dummy, and no robot. He is as fully humanoid as the rest of you. While the clones aren't activated, they do have minimal brain function: just enough to keep their bodies alive, and growing such that they are the same chronological age as all of you. But with Mark, we were able to implant him with the latest cerebonics, effectively 'turning on' his brainwaves, creating a self-awareness."

"So you created a fake Mark, like some kind of mad scientist?" Princess recoiled from the Mark-thing.

"It's not like that, Princess." the double told her, his voice calm and collected. "I _am_ Mark. 100%. I have his DNA, and I have his memories."

"How does he have Mark's memories?" Tiny demanded, pointing angrily at the Mark-thing.

"If you'll sit down, I'll explain." Chief Anderson replied, his tone cool and forceful. Tiny obeyed instantly, but his expression revealed his doubts.

"Another precaution we took when we installed your cerebonic implants was to make recordings of your brain wave patterns." the Chief explained. "Once your implants were successfully installed, the first thing we did was to download all of your brain functions into encoded files. We were able to capture everything: knowledge, memories, thoughts, emotions."

"When we got implants?" Keyop asked skeptically. "Long time ago!"

"You're right, it was 4 years ago." Chief Anderson agreed. "But as you know, since you became part of G-Force, after every mission we have downloaded the mission logs directly from your implants."

"There are no memories or emotions associated with those downloads." Princess stated, her hands shaking I her lap. "Just bare bones information: mission recaps and a few images. I know; I've seen the files."

"That's correct, yet the experience is still there." the Chief countered. "We were able to upload the information into a new implant. This Mark knows everything about every mission G-Force has ever undertaken, except for the last one."

"Last one?" Keyop questioned.

"There was no commander from whom to download mission logs." Chief Anderson reminded them. "As such, we have briefed this Mark on that mission, but he has no actual memory of it. Still, his experience and knowledge are such that he is being instated as the commander of G-Force."

"You're making a clone the commander of G-Force?" Jason couldn't help the angry words that spilled forth from his mouth. "A pale copy of the real Mark, and he's going to be in charge? Making decisions that could mean life or death for us?"

"I'm perfectly capable, Jason, I assure you." the Mark-thing stood, rising to meet the challenge to his authority. His stance, his manner, the way he looked Jason in the eye, were all so familiar that Jason momentarily hesitated, and the double pushed that to his advantage.

"I know what Zoltar has done. I understand everything you've been through. Everything _we've_ been through." His gaze swung around, taking in everyone in the room. "I _am_ Mark. I _am_ the commander. And if you don't buy it, I ask you to challenge me. When we go out on a mission, there can't be any doubts. I need you all to believe that I am who I am. I need you all to obey my orders without question, to work together as a team, just as we always have."

Jason didn't hesitate. He leapt over the edge of the chair, startling Tiny so much that he nearly fell out of his seat and onto the floor. Jason's foot aimed straight for the double's head, his body twisting mid-air to somersault over his opponent. Yet the Mark-thing didn't waver in his response. His hands flew upward, grasping Jason's foot and deflecting it, causing Jason to plummet to the floor, where he rolled, coming up into a graceful crouch.

"You've never been able to use that move against me, Jason." Mark grinned, and everything clicked into place. Jason rose to a stand, his mind flooding with a chilling acceptance.

"I know." he nodded. "But I wasn't sure you did."

"Of course I remember." Mark told him. "I remember every day we trained together. You could never get that kick past me, and I was never able to disarm you when you had grabbed a weapon. I know all of your strengths and weaknesses. Not just yours, but everyone's. Exactly what I need to know to command this team."

"Okay." Jason answered. "You're not Mark, but I believe that you're good enough. I'll accept you as commander, for now. But we can't risk our lives on your mistakes. Just know that I'll be watching you, keeping an eye out for this team."

"And how is that any different from the way it's always been?" Mark asked, his eyebrow arching, in a manner so familiar it made Jason's heart ache.

It really _was_ Mark.

In a way, Jason was glad to come to this realization. He had missed his friend, and he had disliked bearing the heavy burden of responsibility that being commander had placed on him, in the wake of Mark's death. Yet another part of him still recoiled at the thought that this Mark had been created out of nothing: a replacement for the real man that had used to exist. Still, how was that any different from Keyop, whose very existence had been the result of experimentation in Galaxy Security laboratories? If Jason could accept Keyop, then Jason could accept this Mark.

"Glad to have you on the team." Jason put out his hand, nodding as Mark accepted the offering, grinning as they shook. Chief Anderson appeared smug, clearly pleased that his duplicate had been accepted.

"If you're good enough for Jason, you're good enough for me." Tiny said.

"Me too." Keyop agreed.

"I appreciate the vote of confidence, guys." Mark told them. He looked over at Princess, who was still staring into her lap. He touched her lightly on the chin, tipping her face up so that she was forced to look him in the eye.

"What about you, Princess?" he asked her softly.

"You're the commander." she whispered. "I understand." Yet Jason could tell by the expression on her face that Princess was still bewildered and dismayed by the appearance of this manufactured Mark. He didn't blame her, and in fact, he found that he was somewhat glad that she wasn't whole-heartedly accepting this new Mark.

"I'll give you an hour to reacquaint yourselves." Chief Anderson told them. "I have to attend a virtual meeting with President Kane. But as you know, Zoltar's deadline is in 2 days. G-Force must be ready to provide the Federation's answer to Spectra's ultimatum. We'll have a briefing in exactly 60 minutes."

"G-Force!" everyone cried enthusiastically, relieved to know that they were going to fight, after all. It seemed that Mark's replacement had put some heart into them all.

Yet when the Chief left the room, Princess appeared to sag. She turned away from Mark, allowing him to be swept away by Tiny and Keyop, who appeared to be 'testing' Mark, as Jason had done, regarding his knowledge of various facets of their shared experiences as part of G-Force.

"Are you okay?" Jason asked Princess quietly, slipping into the vacated seat next to her.

"It's Mark, but it's not Mark." she whispered, burying her face in her hands. "I just don't know."

"I don't blame you." Jason sighed. "It's confusing enough for the rest of us, but for you, it's even more so. Take your time, and don't let anyone rush you. For now, he's your commander, and that's all you need to know. And for what it's worth, I'm here for you."

"Thanks, Jason." she replied. "I appreciate that." She gave his hand a squeeze, but it was perfunctory, light years away from the emotional intimacy they had shared less than an hour before, in the ready room. Sorrow unfolded inside of Jason as he realized that something precious had been lost. Mark had returned, but at an emotional price, not just to Princess, but to Jason as well.

Even so, it wasn't up to him to push. Princess needed to sort things out for herself, without any intervention on his part.

"Everything okay?" Mark asked, unknowingly echoing Jason's question from a few minutes before. He approached, taking Princess' hand in his, sitting down on her other side. Tiny and Keyop conversed boisterously in the corner of the office, unaware of what was going on with the others, for the moment.

"I suppose, under the circumstances." Princess's voice was shaky, but Jason could tell that she was making an effort to remain calm.

"She's just a little taken aback." Jason tried to take some of the pressure off of Princess. "We all are."

"That's understandable." Mark replied, but he wasn't looking at Jason.

"Princess," he said quietly, "I've missed you. Ever since I woke up, all I could think about was you. But I had to train, get used to my body, and the Chief told me that I'd have to wait to see you. And now that I have, it's wonderful to have you next to me."

"Mark?" Princess looked at him, her face confused. "What are you saying? You haven't talked to me like that in years."

"Years?" Now it was Mark who appeared to be confused. "It seems like not long ago. Don't you remember the promises we made, the things we said, before we got our cerebonics implanted?"

"Yes, but I thought you had forgotten." she admitted. "Ever since you were made commander, you've been so distant."

"I don't remember that." Mark told her, and Jason realized that the new Mark was telling the truth. His memories, his emotions, his thoughts, had been reactivated from the day Mark had received his implant. Everything after that was just mission logs. So while this commander recalled everything that had happened to G-Force, emotionally, he was as he had been 4 years ago.

"I don't want to be distant from you Princess." Mark said, taking her face in her hands and kissing her. Jason wanted to turn away, to give them the privacy they deserved, yet he found himself unable to tear his eyes away from the sight. Princess softened for a moment, her hands rising from her lap, yet they tightened into fists, and she turned away, breaking their physical contact.

"A lot has happened, in the last 4 years, Mark." she told him. "I just don't know."

"I understand that this is a lot to take in, Princess." he answered. "But I just want you to know that nothing's changed. I still love you. I still want to be with you."

"But that's just it." Princess whispered. "Everything's changed."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

It was torture making it through the rest of the briefing. The new Mark left Princess alone, but she could feel his eyes on her, could practically hear the thoughts running through his head. He wasn't able to comprehend why she was so reluctant. How could he? How could he understand anything that had happened, or more precisely, hadn't happened, between them over the past 4 years? And most importantly, how could he understand that every time she looked at him all she could see was a cold tank around his face, his body floating in a viscous liquid?

After what seemed like an eternity, Chief Anderson returned, filling them in on the rest of his plan. Now that Mark had 'returned' (Princess cringed at the use of the word; Mark had not returned, but had been replaced by his own clone.) they had an advantage that Zoltar wasn't expecting. The scientists at Center Poseidon had developed a countermeasure to the Medusarray: they couldn't reverse the effects, but they had deduced the principles upon which it worked. They had created a compound that, when mixed with the chemical-altering properties of the Medusarray, would start a chain reaction, burning through the weapon, literally destroying it from the inside out. The only problem was that they would have to get close enough to use it.

Unfortunately, this meant that they would only get one chance. If Zoltar realized that they had a replacement commander, and that they could neutralize his weapon, he would be using that information to defend himself, taking away their advantage. Their only chance was if they took him unaware, destroying the Medusarray before he realized what was happening. To that end, G-Force would officially 'surrender' in 2 days' time, with Mark appearing on the scene in time to activate the compound.

So now all they had to do was wait. Yet that wasn't entirely accurate. The replacement commander wanted to run some training sessions, to ensure that they still worked together well as a team. That, at least, was consistent with the Mark whom Princess knew.

She spent the entire afternoon with the others, practicing fighting maneuvers both individual and joint. The whirlwind pyramid was especially difficult, as she cringed every time the commander had to put his arm across her shoulders. It was a relief to fly away from him in the resulting windstorm, until they had to get into formation once more.

Yet the commander said nothing about their performance except that they had done well, that they were the team he knew, and that they would succeed in their mission against Zoltar in 2 days.

It was more than Princess could take.

The moment they were released, she flew out of the training room, desperately seeking some place where she could finally be alone with her thoughts. Yet it was then that she discovered that there was nowhere to go. If she went to her quarters, or the cafeteria, or the ready room, the commander would find her. She needed time to herself, time to sort things out, to figure out how she felt about this replacement Mark who had so unexpectedly been dropped into her life.

Suddenly, she knew where to go. With renewed purpose she ran toward a place that was free from thoughts of Mark, a place where she knew she could be free to think. It didn't take her long to arrive at the submarine bay, the same place where she had found Jason after her mysterious conversation with Chief Anderson weeks ago. She had discovered Jason standing at the edge of the walkway, leaning on the railing, staring at the water as it lapped over the edge. Unconsciously she copied the pose, surprised and pleased to find the movement of the small waves relaxing, drawing her ugly emotions from her, setting them free to drift upon the water.

She had been overjoyed when she had thought that Mark had somehow been turned back into a man, and had escaped Zoltar. All she had wanted, ever since Mark had fallen victim to the Medusarray, was for him to return. And now he had, albeit in the most horrifying fashion she could think of. Chief Anderson had taken an empty shell of a body, implanting it with cerebonics and Mark's memories, creating a sort of Frankenstein's monster to lead the G-Force team. That wasn't what she had wanted, not even close.

And yet, from what little she had seen, it appeared that he was a capable commander, at least. He had been able to keep up with them during training, even excel with the same skill she recalled Mark having. If he had been a little rusty, it was no more so than any of them would have been after recovering from a long illness. And he understood how they worked together, and what it took to motivate them to do their best. He appreciated the strategy Chief Anderson had formed in dealing with the threat Zoltar presented, and deep down, she knew that she had no concerns as to how this new commander would lead the team.

Her concerns were purely of a personal nature.

"I didn't realize this spot was taken."

"Huh?" She looked up, only to see Jason standing in the doorway. "Oh, no, it's okay. I'll go. It was your spot first."

"Is it helping you?"

"Yes. It's good for thinking."

"You've got a lot to think about."

"Don't we all?"

"Maybe we could share." Jason gestured around the empty room. "I think it's big enough for both of us."

"Yeah. Okay."

Jason settled into a spot against the railing, far enough away from Princess so as not to disturb her. Minutes passed as they both stared out at the water in silence, yet the stillness between them was awkward, as if they barely knew each other. Princess hated it.

"Why can't things just be the way they were?" she cried out suddenly, the sound bursting from her lips and echoing around the metallic submarine bay.

"That's a futile wish," Jason replied calmly, "turning back the clock like that. Even if we had known, and Mark had been able to avoid being hit by the Medusarray-"

"I didn't mean that." Princess interrupted. "I meant like this morning. In the ready room. I felt like I knew what was what. I understood where I wanted to be, and what I wanted to do. Can't it be like that again? Between us?"

Jason stared at her, an expression of disbelief flashing across his face for a moment before his usual stone mask returned to replace it. She had almost forgotten about that mask: the one he had worn so often during the years that she had known him. Yet over the past few weeks it had dropped away more and more often, such that now it seemed awkward and inappropriate between them.

"I don't think that's possible, Princess." Jason told her in a tight voice.

"Why not?"

It was a ridiculous question. They both knew why things had changed. But Princess needed Jason to understand; she needed him to know.

"You need to give him a chance."

"What?" Princess didn't know what she'd been expecting Jason to say, but it wasn't this.

"Look, I get it. I get why you're freaked out by this whole thing. I was there with you, remember? Those things in the tanks were completely unreal. Yeah, they looked like us, but they weren't alive, at least, not in the sense that we were. And now here comes this walking, talking Mark to replace the friend that we lost."

"I guess that about sums it up." Princess replied uncertainly.

"No, it's just the beginning." Jason answered her. "This Mark isn't what we expected. He surprised us. Maybe there's more to him than meets the eye."

"But what if there isn't?"

"Then you can deal with that. But can you deal with ignoring him, turning him away, just because you can't get over a gut reaction to what he used to be?"

"What are you saying, Jason?"

"I'm saying that if you don't give him a chance, if you don't try and look beyond his origins, then you might regret it later." Jason spoke plainly, and she could see the effort it was costing him in the tight set of his jaw. "When we lost Mark, you wanted him back. Now you've gotten your wish, and you're just going to throw it away?"

"It's not throwing it away."

"The hell it isn't!" Jason snarled, yet she didn't recoil. Instead, she stepped forward, placing her arms around his neck, laying her cheek against his chest. She could feel his heart pounding, thumping against her skin in a hammering rhythm that caused her to gasp softly.

"This morning I thought I knew what I wanted." she whispered. "And I think I still do."

"You _think_ you still do." Jason gently pulled her arms from around neck, disentangling himself from her embrace. "Princess, you need to be absolutely certain. It's been years since you were with Mark, but the Mark who's here now doesn't remember that. You owe it to yourself to try."

"And what if I try," she paused a moment, catching his gaze in hers, "and it's not right?"

"I think it will be." Jason confided, and she saw his mask wavering for just a moment. Yet he held it together, facing her with the strength she needed.

"And if it's not," he continued, "then at least you'll know. You'll be certain."

She nodded, stepping away reluctantly, but knowing that it was the right thing to do.

"Thanks, Jason." she told him. "You're always there for me when I need you."

"And I always will be."

Jason hadn't said what she had wanted to hear, but deep down, Princess understood that it had been what she had needed to hear. It was with this thought in mind that she no longer tried to hide. She left the submarine bay, heading to the ready room and to her guitar. She hadn't even been there for 20 minutes when she heard the door open. Without even looking, she knew who was there.

"Princess." the commander said, approaching her hesitantly. "I've been looking for you. I think we need to talk."

"We do?" Her attempt at innocence was pathetic.

"You've been avoiding me." he stated.

"You know me pretty well."

"I'd like to think that I know you better than anyone. That I know who you are."

"I wish I knew who you are."

"Don't you?" His gaze was frank and assessing, and Princess found herself reddening under his scrutiny.

"No." Princess shook her head, then realized that this wasn't entirely the truth. "Well, yes. Maybe."

"There shouldn't be any question." he told her, gently taking the guitar from her hands and placing it down. Once she was free of her instrument he took her hands, drawing her to her feet. A part of her wanted to recoil at his touch, but she forced it down. Jason was right; she had to try.

"But I do have questions." she said honestly. "Questions for myself. It's been more than 3 years since we were together."

"That can't be true." He frowned, honestly puzzled by her statement.

"It was after Chief Anderson named you commander of G-Force." Princess told him. "You told me that you had to focus on that, that you didn't have time for anything else. That for us to continue the way we had been would undermine your position, and the effectiveness of the team, and that we had to cut things off."

"I don't like the sound of that."

"Neither did I," Princess admitted, "but it wasn't up to me."

"I can't believe I did that." he scowled, and she smiled at the ferocity of his expression. "You find it funny?"

"I find it funny that you're so mad with yourself." she giggled.

"I should be mad with myself." he said seriously. "How could I do that to you? To us? No wonder you don't want to talk to me!"

"It's not just that." Princess admitted. "It's where you came from."

"I'm guessing you don't mean that my family is Rigan." he replied, yet his joke fell flat.

"No." she shook her head, fighting back her feelings, but then the words came spilling out of her, her lips trembling as she spoke.

"I've seen the tanks. The doubles. You told me not to, but I went anyway, and saw Keyop, and then after you were turned to stone, Jason and I found the lab, and we saw all of the others. They were just floating there, but not moving or even breathing! And it was all so horrifying!"

"I'm not familiar with everything you're saying, but I think I understand." he answered, gently squeezing her hands. "I can see how it would be difficult to get past that. But you have to understand something too, Princess. I'm not like the others in the tanks. I'm a living person, with memories and feelings and experiences. There's no question in my mind what I want, and with whom I want to spend my life. It sounds like I made some mistakes in the past, but I can swear to you that I won't be making those mistakes again. Commander or not, I want to be with you. There's no point in fighting a war if you're not going to be there for me on the other side."

He bent his head down, his lips approaching hers, yet he hesitated, pausing that last fraction of an inch before their mouths met, his eyes searching her face. Confusion overwhelmed her. Why did he have to be so considerate? Why did he have to be so understanding? Why did he have to say all the right things?

Why was she resisting so hard?

Before she could think about what she was doing, Princess acted instinctively, standing up on tiptoe, initiating a feathery contact. Electricity sparked between them, so strong and so unexpected that it nearly took her breath away. This time they both drew forward, coming together in unison as their mouths joined in an explosion of longing. Princess forgot everything except the exquisite sensations washing over her, the liquid sweetness running through her veins, the forgotten sensation of completeness as their bodies melted together. Her fingers twined themselves in his hair, while his hands slid around her waist, caressing her back, pulling her more closely to him, as if they could simply merge together, the two of them becoming one.

They felt as one. She sensed his joy at their reunion, while he sensed her confusion as she surrendered to the whirlwind of emotion surrounding them. She felt his hands, his lips, stroking and soothing her, reassuring her more clearly than words that _this_ was the Mark she remembered.

He wasn't the Mark she had known, yet he could still create an emotional and physical response within her, far stronger than anything she had ever experienced.

Jason had been right.

Damn him.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"The fools! They've fallen right into my trap!" Zoltar gloated, rubbing his hands in gleeful anticipation. "In 12 Earth hours they will surrender to Spectra! G-Force will be at my mercy! Oh, the sweet taste of victory!"

"Don't be too confident." Mala warned him, her image flickering slightly on the communications screen. "The Federation has tricked us before. How many times have you thought that victory was within your grasp, yet somehow, they managed to escape?"

"I have learned from my mistakes." Zoltar replied pompously. "They will not escape me this time! They know that if they resist, I will use the Medusarray!"

"A weapon that is unique." Mala admitted. "And even more so since the scientist who created it was unexpectedly terminated."

"It was his own fault." Zoltar sniffed. "He got in the way when I was testing the weapon."

"Yet the Medusarray is a prototype. We cannot create another without taking it apart to study it, which runs the risk of not being able to put it back together."

"It does not matter." Zoltar insisted. "One is all that I need. And we were able to develop the enhancer, to widen the beam to cover an entire city."

"But only if you do not let it overheat." Mala reminded him. "Remember the Meganizer, Brother."

"Would you stop being so negative?" Zoltar snapped. "Here I am, on the verge of the greatest victory the Spectran Empire has ever known, and you continue to berate me! You're just jealous, that's all!"

"I'm not jealous." Mala sighed. "I'm happy for you, Brother, I really am. I want this as badly as you do. But I remember all of those other times when things did not work out in our favor. I am at fault as much as you; I have been a part of some of those failures. Yet I try to learn from my mistakes, and it seems that you do not."

"I have learned one thing." Zoltar held his head high in the air. "G-Force are nothing without their commander. In this entire 30 days, they have been hiding, tails between their legs, even though I have been in Earth orbit the entire time, literally right under their noses! The citizens of the Federation are calling them out for being cowards, and have lost faith in them. Tomorrow they will present themselves in submission to the Spectran Empire. They will be my prisoners!"

"I thought you were going to turn them to stone?" Mala questioned his decision.

"Eventually." Zoltar replied loftily. "But they have been a thorn in my side for so long, it will be sweet justice to have them under my control. I have plans for them."

"I don't like the sound of this." Mala muttered.

"I have regretted my hasty actions with the commander." Zoltar admitted. "I see him here next to me, and I think of all of the things I would like to have done, before he was irrevocably turned to stone."

"If you had not turned him too stone, the Federation would not be at your mercy now." Mala pointed out.

"True. But I won't rush with the others." Zoltar smirked. "Perhaps I'll turn them to stone one limb at a time. The G-Force child has been turned into a cripple. Can you believe it? Kane actually admitted it to me. His leg is completely gone, severed from his body. It's a miracle he even survived at all."

"So Kane wants you to take pity on him, because he is a crippled child?"

"Well yes, but I'm no fool. The boy is just as guilty as the others! He deserves full punishment!"

"Well I'm glad to hear it." Mala replied. "Just don't let Kane convince you to save him, to appear 'generous' to the Federation citizens."

"I've been generous enough, giving them 30 days!" Zoltar declared. "Just enough time for those mewling citizens to run rampant over their government. Kane was practically begging for mercy. And he shall have it, but at a price. A very steep price."

"Very good, Brother." Mala smiled.

"Don't forget your crutches, Keyop." Jason reminded the youngest G-Force member, for perhaps the third time that morning.

"Got 'em!" Keyop grinned, not the least offended. He, most of all, understood the importance of his subterfuge. Zoltar had been led to believe that Keyop's leg was completely useless, and that the boy had been rendered a cripple after being hit by the Medusarray. The truth was that while Keyop had a full movement range back, thanks to his cloned limb, his reflexes and skills were still below what they needed to be to participate in G-Force field missions. Still, he was a far sight more able than the Spectrans would believe, which could give him an advantage if push came to shove.

If Jason had had a choice, Keyop wouldn't be here at all, but of course, it wasn't his choice: it was Zoltar's. The Spectran leader had insisted on every member of G-Force being present for surrender. If Keyop did not appear, then who knew what that madman might do? They needed Zoltar to stay calm, to think that he was in control, to be overconfident, long enough for them to destroy the Medusarray. The compound that Chief Anderson had given them was secured in Jason's belt pouch: a powdery crystal so fine it seemed to make the very air shimmer when it was thrown. Yet it was this very delicacy of the material that would allow it to be absorbed by the metal of which the weapon was constructed, finding its way to the core and setting off the reaction to destroy the Medusarray from the inside out. Every member of the G-Force team had been given a healthy dose of this compound, yet it was entirely possible that only one of them would get to use it.

"Everything okay down there?" Jason spoke into his communicator.

"Just fine." Mark replied. "It's a little cramped, though. I don't think this cargo hold was designed to hold a full-grown person."

"Good thing you're on the short side." Jason smirked.

"Just make sure you don't come back from this mission on the short side, with feet made of stone." Mark shot back.

"Trust me, that's not the plan." Jason replied, pausing for a moment. "It's good to have you back, commander."

"You're the commander right now, Jason."

"Yeah, I get to be the commander who surrenders, and you get to be the commander who saves the day." His words were grim, but Jason wasn't resentful. He understood that G-Force's greatest advantage lay in Zoltar's absolute certainty that Mark was gone. Jason would have to take on the commander's role for one more time, until they chose to play their best card. Their only card.

"Someone needs to do the dirty work." Mark quipped, but then his tone turned serious. "I couldn't do this without you, Jason. I know I can depend on you to do what needs to be done, and to keep the others safe. G-Force is a team, and you're the best team player I know."

"Funny, I could say the same thing about you." Jason admitted, before ending the communication. When had he gotten so sappy? It had to be the finality of this mission. They all knew that if anything went wrong, this could easily end with their deaths. It was only natural to want to go out on a good note.

Yeah, that was it.

Jason glanced over at Princess, seated on the bench across from him. She was helping Keyop belt in, but she looked up for a moment and caught Jason's eye. He looked away, unwilling to let her seen the pain he knew was written all over his face. He had done what he had had to do, sending her back to Mark, but that didn't mean that she had to know how much it had cost him.

"Everybody ready?" Tiny asked, his face devoid of its usual good humor. Instead, his expression was one of anxious anticipation, of dread. As if he just wanted to get this over and done with already.

Jason knew exactly how he felt.

"Good to go." Jason told the pilot, as Princess and Keyop gave him the thumbs up. He didn't have to ask Mark, who was so tightly crammed into the cargo hold beneath their feet that nothing would move him. The troop transport shuttle they were using on this day was an old model: nothing that would give away any top secret technology of the Federation, if the Spectrans were to take it apart. Still, it was enough to get them to Zoltar's whirling space platform, which wasn't much further away than the moon.

It still made Jason's blood boil to realize that the Spectrans had been here, orbiting the Earth, monitoring their communications and broadcasts for an entire month. He was glad that he hadn't known this during those weeks cooped up at Center Poseidon, else he might have been tempted just to take the Phoenix out there and simply blow it up. Of course, if he had done that, and if the Spectrans had retaliated before he had gotten into firing range, it could easily be the G-Force spaceship that had been turned to stone.

"Into the lion's den." Tiny muttered as they blasted off, headed straight for Zoltar. The Spectran leader's space station bore a strong resemblance to the small devilstar pod he had flown on previous occasions, and from the little the team knew, Zoltar had set himself up in some kind of throne room there, the statue of the G-Force commander placed next to him, as if Mark were approving of every evil thing Zoltar had done.

Well, it wouldn't be there much longer. Not if Jason had anything to say about it.

As they approached the space station, Tiny matched its rotation, heading to the main docking port, as they had previously been instructed. When they arrived, their shuttle was pulled in by tractor beam and surrounded by a force field until the spacecraft had come to a stop.

"Come on out with your hands in the air!" shouted a voice, as the exterior hatch opened.

"Someone's been watching a few too many cop shows." Jason rolled his eyes. But the joke fell flat, the others nervously unbuckling from their harnesses. As acting commander, he moved forward, waiting for the others to fall in line behind him. Once they had assembled, he raised his hands up to shoulder height, palms outward, stepping through the open hatch.

Outside of the shuttle, perhaps a hundred Spectran soldiers had gathered, all of them with their rifles trained on the ancient Federation craft. At first glance it seemed intimidating, yet Jason noted that many of them, particularly those right in the front, seemed to be visibly shaking.

Surrendering or not, they were still afraid of G-Force.

The very thought filled Jason with badly needed confidence. He strolled casually down the exit ramp of the shuttle, using his open hands to wave at the men. Nearly all of them avoided his direct gaze, and the few who didn't were clearly ready to soil their pants.

"Boo." Jason whispered, jerking forward slightly at one soldier who had dared to hold his gaze. The Spectran let out a frightened yelp, dropping his rifle to the ground. A predatory grin crossed Jason's face.

"You are directed to follow me to the audience chamber of Lord Zoltar!" stated a tiny man wearing a ridiculous costume of orange and blue. Jason had no idea what he was supposed to be, but with Spectrans, it was safe to assume that the more colorful and extreme their garb, the higher the rank.

"Sure, Sergeant." Jason smiled menacingly. "Lead the way."

"It's Captain, actually." the man stepped backward, clearly hesitant to get too close.

"Whatever." Jason waved his hands casually in the air. "I don't suppose I could put my arms down? They're getting tired."

"Of course." the captain squeaked nervously. "Whatever you want."

"Great." Jason muttered. Whatever he wanted. Right. What he wanted was for their mission to go well, but somehow he suspected that the little man wouldn't be so accommodating on that front.

"Where is the boy?" the captain asked, looking sidelong at Jason, who still wore something of a feral expression. Jason glanced back, seeing Princess and Tiny standing behind him.

"He's coming." Jason shrugged. "Takes him a while, you know."

"I don't understand." the captain said, but as Keyop emerged from the shuttle, the man instantly comprehended the situation. "Oh, I see."

Keyop groaned, moving down the exit ramp at a snail's pace, leaning heavily on his crutches. Jason could tell that the boy was enjoying himself immensely, acting the invalid for these Spectran goons. The soldiers who had been intimidated by Jason and wary of Princess and Tiny now seemed to relax, grinning viciously once they realized that they had the upper hand over one member of G-Force, at least. Jason could practically read their minds.

Perhaps the infamous G-Force wasn't indestructible after all.

To counter that thought, Jason stalked back toward Keyop, raking his glare over the assembled men.

"Do you think that's funny?" he hissed. As one, the Spectrans shook their heads, stepping backward and lowering their rifles.

"Come on." Jason told Keyop. "Hurry it up."

"Am hurrying!" he whined.

"Fine." Jason glared, as if he were unhappy with the situation. "We'll wait." He stalked back to where he had previously been standing, near the captain, doing his best to project an air of impatience and frustration. Yet in truth, he was quite pleased. Keyop's job was to delay their progress as much as possible, and he was fulfilling his purpose admirably.

"Can't you help him?" the captain hopped nervously from one foot to the other as he watched Keyop inching across the floor.

"Hey, do you need any help?" Jason called back to Keyop.

"No!" Keyop snapped, holding his head high. "Can do it myself!" He sounded very much like a petulant 5-year-old, enough that his behavior brought back bad memories for Jason, who had known Keyop at that age.

"He'll be along." Jason assured the captain smoothly. "Eventually."

"But Lord Zoltar is waiting!" the captain fretted.

"He's waited 30 days already." Jason noted. "What's another hour, more or less?" He leaned against the wall, as if settling himself for a long delay, pulling out a feather dart and chewing offhandedly on the tip.

"I must report!" the captain wrung his hands.

"You do what you have to do." Jason nodded magnanimously.

"I'll be right back!" the captain promised, scurrying off out of the hangar and into the corridor beyond. He returned about 10 minutes later, looking extremely worse for wear. It was clear that he had been the recipient of significant physical abuse, although to his credit, he was still standing. By this time Keyop had finally made it across the hangar, and everyone was gathered at the beginning of the corridor, watching him with varying expressions of amusement, boredom and disdain.

"Lord Zoltar says that we must hurry!" the captain announced through a split lip, his right eye swelling dangerously. "He has a timetable to keep! He wants to make an announcement to the Federation people in less than an hour!"

"I'm sure we'll be there in an hour." Jason replied. "Hopefully."

"That's not good enough! He needs this matter settled!" The captain seemed to have regained some of his backbone after his audience with Zoltar. "You must carry the boy!"

"Me?" Jason's eyebrows rose with a mixture of surprise and disgust. "No, I don't think so." He turned to Tiny, gesturing the large man forward.

"Go carry him." Jason instructed, pointing to Keyop.

"Aw, why do I always get the worst jobs?" Tiny groaned, moving reluctantly toward Keyop, who protested the instructions vigorously. However given that he was supposed to be somewhat incapacitated, it didn't take much for Tiny to lift him.

"Wow, he's heavy!" Tiny grunted, clearly struggling with his load, especially as Keyop pounded on the pilot's back and shoulders with angry fists.

"Now, we must hurry!" the captain shouted, jumping around nervously. He set off down the corridor at a rapid pace, the soldiers assembling in rows and falling in behind, but Jason didn't feel the need to keep up. He allowed Princess and Tiny to pass him, then ambled slowly along behind the struggling pilot.

"Keyop, if you don't stop that pounding this instant, I really will drop you!" Tiny hissed through clenched teeth.

"Sorry!" Keyop flashed a grin, out of sight of the Spectrans. "Just following orders!"

"Yeah, well, the act doesn't have to be that good." Tiny grumbled.

It was at that moment that the captain realized that he had left his prisoners behind. He came running back down the corridor, an agitated expression on what was left of his face.

"Hurry!" he urged. "Please! Lord Zoltar's wrath is terrible to behold!"

"Been there, done that." Jason yawned in a bored fashion.

"You must come with me, and the girl." the captain decided. "The other 2 can come afterward."

"No." Jason declared, putting every bit of his forcefulness into that one word. "G-Force stays together. If we are surrendering, we will do it as one."

The captain seemed to accept this, yet he continued to verbally harass them the rest of the way. The distance to the chamber in which Zoltar awaited them was perhaps 100 meters away, yet Tiny and Keyop managed to stretch the walk to some 15 minutes. By the time they reached their destination, almost half an hour had passed since their initial landing.

When they entered the chamber, they found Zoltar slumped on his throne, picking at his gloved fingertips in a bored manner. A few uninterested soldiers leaned against the walls, staring at the floor. Only the statue of Mark stood ready, its manner so lifelike that Jason felt a lump rise in his throat. The statue had been polished to a high sheen, and it practically glowed under the artistically placed lighting hitting its surface.

For an instant, Jason almost forgot his purpose, so distracted was he by the sight of their former commander. Yet his gaze caught the Medusarray, leaning negligently at the side of Zoltar's throne, temporarily out of the Spectran leader's grasp.

It was the best opportunity he was going to get. He could only hope that their delay had given Mark enough time to get into position.

"Now!" Jason shouted, leaping into action with a desperate prayer that their delay in reaching the room had been long enough. He whirled, striking the already-battered captain in the head, causing the man to slump to the floor. Tiny instantly dropped Keyop to the floor, using his brute strength to physically corral the soldiers attempting to enter the room, literally shoving them out the door.

Princess flew forward, reaching into her belt pouch and throwing a handful of glittering dust at the Medusarray. Unfortunately, Zoltar, screeching in terror and surprise, jumped off of his throne, in the process covering the weapon with his own body. The dust fell harmlessly onto the Spectran leader's cloak, shimmering in the air.

"Fools!" Zoltar cried, grabbing the Medusarray and leaping to his feet. "Do you think you can betray me and live? Now you will die, and your precious Federation as well!" He rose to a stand, the Medusarray held tightly in his grasp, aiming it at Jason and Princess, who both stood close to his position.

"Now you will pay." Zoltar snarled.

"No, I think it's time for you to pay."

"Who said that?" Zoltar yelped, looking around and behind him.

"I did." Mark dropped down gracefully from the ceiling, where he had been concealing himself behind a large support beam. He landed 10 meters from Zoltar's position, his wings fluttering around him.

"It can't be!" Zoltar began to back away. "It's a trick! You're not real! The real commander is right there!" He gestured uselessly with his hand toward the statue.

It was the opportunity Jason had been waiting for. He moved into action, taking advantage of Zoltar's distraction to fling a handful of Chief Anderson's compound at the Medusarray. Immediately the weapon began to glow, and within seconds it was smoking. Zoltar screeched, dropping the rifle to the ground, jumping about in a comical manner, the palm of his glove burnt to a crisp.

"What have you done?" he wailed. "The Medusarray! My precious weapon! It is the only one! And now it's all gone!" He knelt down to inspect the rifle. "It can't be gone! Perhaps it can be saved!"

With all of his movement, the dust that had settled onto his cape had shifted, and as Zoltar dropped to the floor, a shimmering rain hit the already smouldering weapon. The resulting explosion was so powerful that it literally threw Zoltar back, hurling him against the wall, where his skull hit with a sickening crack.

"Sire!" The few soldiers in the room who had not already been felled by Jason ran over to Zoltar's side, recoiling when they saw his charred face, his neck bent at an unnatural angle. They turned to find Mark facing them, his boomerang at the ready.

"I suggest that you evacuate immediately." the commander said quietly.

The goons jumped up, scrambling away, tripping over their own feet in their rush to obey. They nearly plowed into Tiny on their way out the door, but the pilot jumped aside just in time. Word of their leader's demise spread like wildfire amongst the men, and within moments all of the Spectran soldiers were racing from the scene.

"I think it's time to blow this pop stand." Jason stated, to which everyone nodded.

"Hey, who's giving the orders here?" Mark grinned.

"Merely making a suggestion." Jason grinned back. He felt giddy with relief that the threat was finally over. Not only had the Medusarray been destroyed, but Zoltar was finally out of their lives as well.

"We should probably take him with us." Mark glanced over at Zoltar's body distastefully.

"I think the Chief would like to see this." Jason agreed, helping the commander to lift the corpse of the Spectran leader.

"I don't think we should leave this thing floating in Earth's orbit." Princess declared. "If it's all right with you, Commander, I'm going to clean up around here."

"Set a 10 minute timer." Mark agreed. "It will give us time to get out of here."

"Ready!" Keyop called. He was standing next to the statue of Mark, having spent his time placing anti-grav units on the stone figure.

"Looks good." Tiny declared, after an experimental push on the statue. "I'll be able to get this back to the shuttle."

"Meet us back there, Princess." Mark instructed, and she nodded, before turning to the main control panels.

10 minutes later they were all seated on the troop transport, the statue strapped down in the center of the passenger area, looking back at the Spectran space station as it was destroyed before their eyes. Princess had done her usual thorough job, causing the station to fall in on itself before the full explosion, minimizing the spread of debris. Mark sent the live feed back to Chief Anderson, who congratulated the G-Force team on a job well done.

They had saved the Earth, and the entire Federation, once again.


	14. Epilogue

Epilogue

Needless to say, Zoltar's broadcast to the Federation did not take place. In its place, President Kane spoke to the citizens via intergalactic channels, assuring them that the threat was over. Hastily assembled footage of the exploding Spectran space station was aired, and the G-Force team was interviewed from their transport, which was still making its way back to Earth. The commander's presence was highlighted, along with the statue in the shuttle, and the impression was given that Zoltar's previous statements had been an evil plot to trick the Federation into surrendering while the G-Force commander had been ill.

When the G-Force team returned to Center Poseidon, they received a hero's welcome, the staff who had avoided interacting with them for the past few weeks actively cheering their victory. At first, Princess took the whole thing in stride, yet after only a few moments, she began to find it grating. She wasn't the only one. One by one they all slipped away, with the new commander being the last to leave the party.

In the following days, G-Force was invited to attend numerous celebrations around the Federation, yet each request was politely declined. The members of G-Force found themselves in a state of shock, wandering aimlessly around the station, each of them coming to grips that the war for which they had spent the majority of their lives training and fighting, was finally over. Indeed, with Zoltar's demise, the Spectran Empire had quickly withdrawn its forces, and a ceasefire agreement had been signed. It was expected that a full peace treaty would come, with time.

Chief Anderson and his team of scientists had examined the statue of the original commander, and stood by their initial conclusions that it was not possible to turn him back to an organic being. As such, the statue had been put in a place of honor in the Center Poseidon atrium, which was located at the top of the base, underneath a massive set of windows that took in a significant amount of sunlight (given that the base was entirely located within deep water).

It was here that Princess found herself, a week after Zoltar's deadline, 7 days since they had saved the world. President Kane was giving yet another speech about peace and freedom on the broadcasts, and nearly all of the Center Poseidon personnel were gathered together, watching. But Princess had had enough of the war. Now that it was over, she simply wanted to forget, to continue her life in as normal a fashion as possible. _If_ that was possible. But she knew that she had to try.

Sunlight streamed in through the overhead window, the movement of the water outside giving it a rippling effect that washed over the statue of the G-Force commander and gave it a lifelike effect. Princess felt something in her heart breaking as she looked at him: so strong, so proud, so confident, frozen at the exact moment of victory. She wondered if he had been aware as it had happened, if Mark had even known that victory had been snatched from his grasp.

Suddenly needing to connect with him, Princess pushed aside the velvet ropes surrounding the statue, stepping up on the pedestal that had been built for it, until she stood next to him. She placed her palm on the former commander's cheek, feeling the cool smoothness of the stone beneath her hand. A tear shone in her eye for a moment, until she blinked, sending it spiraling downward onto her face, the warm wetness a stark reminder of the life she had, that the original Mark did not. It was this that finally allowed her to put him to rest. She knew that she would mourn Mark's passing forever, yet now she understood that she could move on, remembering him with joy, rather than with sorrow.

She heard a small rustling sound, and turned her head, only to see the commander's successor standing in the doorway.

"Sorry," the new Mark apologized, "I didn't mean to disturb you."

"That's all right." she replied, taking one last look at the statue, before jumping gracefully down to the ground. "I was just saying goodbye."

"It's not exactly 'goodbye'." he reminded her, yet his expression was hesitant.

"I know." Princess nodded, moving past the velvet ropes and taking a few steps toward him. "You're not the same, but even so, you are Mark. I understand that now."

"But am I a better Mark?" he grinned, yet then he appeared slightly shamefaced. "Sorry. I shouldn't have asked that, even as a joke."

"Two apologies, in less than a minute." Princess smiled. "That certainly is different. You seem to be lacking in confidence, more so than your predecessor."

"Not as far as G-Force is concerned." he disagreed. "But with you – that's another story. I'm still not certain where we stand."

"Neither am I." she admitted, watching as he slowly approached her. "But in answer to your question, I suppose there is one thing I can think of that's better about you."

"What's that?" he asked, coming to a stop in front of her. His hands twitched at his sides, as if he had to forcibly restrain himself from reaching out to her. He attempted to project an air of nonchalance, but Princess could see tiny beads of sweat dotting his brow.

"You're more in touch with your emotions." she whispered. "You're more inclined to show how you feel. I think I can read you even more than I could the other Mark, not that I had ever thought that could be possible."

"So you know how I feel about you."

"Yes." Princess replied, putting her hands on his shoulders and stretching upward to brush her lips across his. As before, she was taken aback by the instant connection between them: the racing of her pulse, the feeling of floating, as if he was her only anchor to the world. His hands reached upward, gently stoking the tender skin of her face, the soft fall of her hair.

"Princess." he breathed.

"Mark." she replied, finally admitting in her heart that he was the same man she had known before, despite the differences. And in truth, those differences weren't something to be afraid of. He was still kind and gentle and noble, but now he was free to express himself.

Free to be with her.

She kissed him again, knowing that this Mark was not made of stone, and being flesh and blood meant that he could grow and change. Just as she was growing and changing.

It was then she knew, with absolute certainty, that there was one thing about their future that was set in stone: whatever that future held, they would face it together.


End file.
